MONDAY: Louisiana Lottery, Innovation in Louisiana, Hot Rod Hundley, and Representative Darrell Ourso

HOUR ONE: 

President and Chief Executive Officer Rose Hudson joins us from the Louisiana Lottery.  The Louisiana Lottery has a record turnover, the second in the nation.  There is over 35% turnover to the state.  The lottery made Louisiana $170 million last year.  She is also treasurer of the North American State Provincial Lotteries.  "Each year we have about 9 million dollars in unclaimed prizes... we give the players money back to them." 

She is not allowed to purchase a lottery ticket, nor is anyone on staff at the Louisiana Lottery.  Hudson says that the Jindal administration has publicly and rightful said that they will not sell the Louisiana Lottery.  "We've given out about 34 million dollars in prizes since 2012."  

"We're talking 446 million dollars in revenue," Hudson says in response to how many people play the lottery.  Rose Hudson is six feet tall.  

Tiger Rag Columnist Marty Mule remembers the legendary Hot Rod Hundley.  "I know he always thought that leaving New Orleans was a terrible decision."  Hot Rod Hundley was beloved by many.    

HOUR TWO: 

President of Public Affairs Research Council Robert Travis Scott discusses the Innovation in Louisiana: Maximizing Investment in University Research to Promote a Knowledge-Based Economy.  "It's not just an academic problem," Scott says.  "Louisiana Tech believe it or not has some of the best metrics in terms of leveraging the most commercial impacts of licenses... their spending is among the lowest in the state."  Scott praises LSU's engineering program.  

Scott has a degree in International Relations from South Carolina.

The Louisiana Legislative session begins in two weeks.  Scott says, "God help us."  

"A lot of these movie productions rent studios or people... people come from out of state and they don't stay here," Scott says.  He asserts that it is not beneficial to spend state money on a non resident of Louisiana.  

"I think he's experiencing a tough way to go," Scott says of Jindal, "we've had both spending and revenue practices that weren't the best." 

"There's no question about the fact that he has cut the budget," Scott says, "but when you're this desperate to fill the budget, it doesn't reflect well."  

"Jay Dardenne has a long history of really being able to understand a lot of the complexities of the state budget process," Scott says.

Representative Darrell Ourso recently won the Louisiana House seat against Buddy Amoroso by 72 votes.  "If we can get the process underway, we can hopefully be driving over that bridge in ten years or less." 

"I'm not for federal government taking over education," Ourso says.  He feels Common Core is a standard.  "We have to really look at the millions of dollars spent... do you start all over?" 

FRIDAY: Healthy Eating, Leo Honeycutt, LSU Hall of Distinction Inductee, and Legalizing Marijuana

HOUR ONE: 

Author Thomas Campbell shares his book The Campbell Plan.  "Being on a diet predicts weight gain in the future," Campbell says.  "The more animal foods that are in a diet, the more heart disease there is."  Campbell calls for minimal to no red meat in losing weight and living healthy.  He says that a little bit of alcohol is okay because it is plant based.  

Leo Honeycutt wins the bronze medal for Business Ethics.  He comments on the Gridiron Show.  "If you sit by the river long enough, you will see the dead body of your enemy come floating by."  

SEC Associate Commissioner Herb Vincent will join us to celebrate his induction into the LSU Hall of Distinction.  The 2015 LSU Alumni Association Hall of Distinction takes place tonight and among this year's inductees are track Olympian Lolo Jones and SEC Associate Commissioner of Communications Herb Vincent.  

The Alumni Association says Hall of Distinction inductees are those who have distinguished themselves through their careers, their personal civic accomplishments and their loyalty to their alma mater. 

Vincent has worked as LSU's Sports Information Director and former Associate Athletic Director. He's worked under Tiger football coaches including Mike Archer, Curley Hallman, Gerry DiNardo, Nick Saban and Les Miles.

Vincent doesn't have anything bad to say about Saban as it was always important to the now Alabama coach to keep LSU traditions alive.

"Changing the helmet or changing the uniform, he stuck by all that," said Vincent. "I thought of that when I saw CBS named LSU's helmet the best in college football. I think it really is and I remember having that conversation with Saban."

HOUR TWO: 

Representative Dalton Honore wants voters to decide if marijuana should be legalized.  "I arrested several people in my career... a person could wind up in prison for two marijuana cigarettes in the 60s."  Honore says, "I've never tried marijuana.  I've never been in the company of a person smoking marijuana."  Louisiana's jails have 1300 people serving time for marijuana possession.  Honore says, "It's easier for kids to get marijuana off the streets than a case of beer." 

He says he would be open minded in voting for a Republican.  He went to Southern University.  

"I feel personally the budget has been cut too much for higher ed," Honore says, "Hopefully we can find some funding."  He says he is in favor of increasing the cigarette tax.  "I'm not going to vote for you just because you're a democrat."  

Sergeant Darryl Honore joins the show to promote an AIDS Awareness Basketball Game.  He says there have been 13 cases in Baton Rouge this past year in which AIDS was spread intentionally.  "In my opinion, we have far too many older persons preying upon younger persons."  Tomorrow, the Basketball Game will be from 5-8 pm at Seymour Gym on Southern's Campus.  

THURSDAY: Our Founding Fathers, Former Congressman Bob Livingston, and Governor Jindal and the Upcoming Elections

HOUR ONE: 

Author Thomas Fleming shares his book The Great Divide.  Fleming asserts that his book is relevant because Thomas Jefferson and George Washington disagreed heavily over the power of the president; something that is still disagreed upon today.  Fleming says that John Madison envisioned a very commercial United States.  "Jefferson did not think blacks were ready for freedom," Fleming tells a listener, "I call Washington the forgotten Emancipator."  

Editor Stephanie Riegel joins us from The Baton Rouge Business Report.  She comments on her career and her experience moving from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.  "New Orleans is much more cosmopolitan; it is a world class city.  Baton Rouge is a very middle-Americanized city."  

She also comments on LSU's president and his relationship with Governor Jindal.  "There are certainly valid arguments for making tweaks to the program," Riegel says of Common Core.  

Riegel gives her opinion on the upcoming governor's election.

 "The Westdale Junior High Class of 1969 held a lot of the key business players in Baton Rouge." 

"I think the one thing that will hurt Vitter is that he is already acting a lot like Jindal," Stephanie says.   

HOUR TWO: 

Former Congressman Bob Livingston discusses the upcoming Governor's election.  Livingston also gives his opinion on the Republican Nominee and the vast array of candidates.  "I wouldn't discount any candidate right now," he says.  He is the head of Governor Jindal's Super PAC.  "I didn't leave the Democrat party, the Democrat Party left me."  

Political Consultant Gus Weill spent four years as a counter intelligence agent in Germany.  He comments on ISIS.  "ISIS is winning the war they want to win... the propaganda war."  He continues, praising America's advertising agencies and companies, "I think that we ought to tell our side of the story, what's good about America, hit them <ISIS> right smack in the head... Of all the wars that we could lose, we lose the propaganda war."  

Weill discusses the German Wings Crash.  "It could be an act of terrorism." 

He also comments on the SAE fraternity scandal and the public's tolerance for forgiveness, using former President Bill Clinton as example.  

WEDNESDAY: Obesity, Getting Into College, Mental Illness, Governor Jindal, and Controversial Strawberry Festival Poster

HOUR ONE: 

Author Harriet Brown shares her book Body of Truth.  "Every time you lose weight and then gain it, you are changing your metabolism in ways you don't understand," Brown begins, "it gets harder and harder."  She continues, "Actually our metabolisms become more efficient, so you have to work harder and eat less."  Brown condemns yo yo dieting, asserting its bad effects on blood pressure and potential type two diabetes.  "The truth is we don't know how to make people thinner," Brown says.  "Rather than get trapped in this cycle of dieting and exercising, we focus on health not the weight."  She says, "We get this one message: black and white; fat is bad; thin is good."  She asserts that women receive much more of the stigma.  "It's okay to have breasts and a tush, but nothing else."   

"One of the biggest risk factors in dieting is obesity."  

Author Pria Chattergee shares her book The Dirty Little Secret of Getting Into a Top College.  "Reach for your best potential... but be realistic about what that best self might be," Chattergee says.  "College admissions is not some extraneous monster, but it follows the trends of life."  She says, "It is more competitive because there are more students applying."  She notes, "A lot of legacies come from high achieving households and high income households."  She was born in India and went to Harvard.  "I was the only Indian woman from India in my class in Harvard." 

Associate Administrative Judge in  Miami-Dade County Court Criminal Division and Special Advisor on Criminal Justice and Mental Health for the Supreme Court of Florida Steven Leifman comments on what happens when someone with a severe mental illness is released from jail after committing a small crime.  "On medication, they are much less likely to be violent than the general population," Leifman says of mentally ill people.  He comments on crisis intervention team policing.  

HOUR TWO: 

Jason Hebert of the Political Firm in Baton Rouge joins the show to discuss Governor Jindal.  His firm has won 15 out of the past 18 campaigns they have run.  He asserts that Common Core and education will be the largest issues in the governor's race.  He suggests the probability of a David Vitter and John Bel Edwards run off.  Hebert comments on the state officials he has worked with in the past.  Jim asks who is the most powerful politician in the state.  "The senator has spent a long time building the right kinds of relationships," Hebert says, praising his work ethic.  "This is the first time I feel like we've got the right guy at the right time," Herbert says of Vitter.  "More people follow politics than policy."  He gives his professional opinion on those candidates running for governor.  They comment on Governor Jindal's obsessive exercising.  

President of the Tangipahoa Parish NAACP Branch Patricia Morris comments on the poster for The Strawberry Festival.  "It's offensive because white kids were able to enroll in school, but we were not until the crops were finished in May," Morris says.  

TUESDAY: Louisiana Cooking, The Gridiron Show, and Governor Jindal

HOUR ONE: 

Author Maggie Richardson joins us to share her book Hungry for Louisiana.  "A year long celebration of food with a specific to each season really makes us unique," Richardson says.  The book has eighteen recipes through a food narrative with light history.  Louisiana has 400 festivals, most are food centric.  Maggie Richardson writes for the Baton Rouge Business Report.  

Director Ronnie Stutes comments on The Gridiron Show.  "We are the longest continually running show."  It has been on 64 years.  Tickets are at gridironshowbr@yahoo.com for $25.  "Drew Brees will be played by Smiley Anders."  Jim comments that Jeremy White looks "a lot like the portrait of Governor Jindal."   "We want to make sure we are taking valid portrayals," Stutes says.  

Red Shtick Publisher Jeremy White also joins us in studio to comment on The Gridiron Show in which he plays Governor Bobby Jindal.  "We've got to have the only governor in America to deliver a baby and perform an exorcism," Jim comments.  White asks, "Is there a Republican running for president using their real first name?"  The prayer rally will be covered in The Gridiron Show. 

HOUR TWO: 

Associate Professor Jeff Sadow and Political Consultant Tom Aswell discuss the era of Governor Jindal.  Sadow definitely thinks Governor Jindal is running for president, "All signs pointing in that direction right now."  Sadow says, "I would say up for the first six and a half years... he's transformed the state more than any other governor."  He compares them to Huey Long and Edwin Edwards.  

"He's put this state decades behind the rest of the country," Aswell says, "There's nothing good about Louisiana... and this guy is at the helm of the ship."  He comments, "We cannot allow Grover Norquist to have say in our state." 

Louisiana has the third lowest cigarette tax in the United States.  

They discuss the budget crisis and the upcoming legislative session.  

"It sounds a little crass, but smoking saves in healthcare costs," Sadow says.  Aswell comments, "We can't have people living longer, now can we?" 

"The sales tax is a very regressive tax.  It works against the poor," Aswell says.  

A listener refers to Charles Blow's recent column.  

"I think a lot of the controversy surrounding Common Core is overblown," Dr. Sadow says.

"He has a very thin skin," Aswell says of David Vitter regarding the alleged assault against Mercedes Hernandez. 

MONDAY: Candidate for Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and Author Raymond Strother

HOUR ONE:

Candidate for Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser discusses his campaign for Lieutenant Governor.  "I feel I could work with any of the people running <for governor>." Nungesser says.  
He has lost 100 pounds from a sleeve surgery.  "If you stand up for the right thing, you can make a lot of changes."  

Jim asks for the importance of the position of Lieutenant Governor since many have suggested doing away with the office.  Nungesser asserts its importance.  He says, "We need to utilize all of our rivers and waterways... it <the Lieutenant Governor position> is what you make it."  

Nungesser suggests that the Republican Party is here to stay.  "I think it's a trend that has taken off here in Louisiana." 

"I think what sets me apart from my opponents is my passion... people who do everything physically possible to make this state a better place." 

He comments on his position on the proposed inventory tax.  Nungesser says that the way to solve the budget is to cut "wasteful spending," and he says that "everything must be on the table." 

He is good friends with Kevin Costner.  

Nungesser says, "Please honor our veterans and go out and vote." 

Son of the great boxing writer, Journalist Mark Kram, Jr. has been covering sports nationally for many years.  He remembers NFL legend Chuck Bednarik.   

HOUR TWO: 

Author and political consultant Raymond Strother comments on Governor Jindal's presidential quest.  He has written books about the genesis of the political consultant.  "We've been partially responsible for the increase in spending in campaigns," Strother says of political consultants.  

He spent a year in the Governor's mansion with Buddy Roemer.  Strother handled most of Bill Clinton's campaigns for governor in Arkansas.  

"I didn't graduate from Northwestern University, I was kicked out for political activity." 

They discuss the cover of The New York Times and Bobby Jindal's chances for the presidential nomination.  "I've never thought he was a viable candidate." 

Strother comments on The New York Times article.  

"I think you're in tough shape when you lose Fox News."

Strother remembers his time working with former president Bill Clinton and former vice president Al Gore.