Shreveport Mayoral Race and New Orleans' Collapsing Housing Market

You're listening to American Ground Radio with Louis R Avallone and Stephen Parr. This is the full show for November 14, 2025. We dig into Louisiana’s latest political absurdity—an ethics loophole so wild it practically rewrites the definition of “ethics.” While casino executives are banned from making political donations, the Louisiana Board of Ethics has decided their sports-betting subsidiaries can write checks all day long. We break down how this ruling effectively legalizes political money-laundering, why the 1996 law never anticipated today’s digital gambling empire, and why the legislature now has no choice but to clean up the mess.Plus, we cover the Top 3 Things You Need to Know. The New Orleans Police Department is launching an investigation into possible fraudulent overtime claims by some of its officers.The City of Shreveport is cracking down on shoddy work by city contractors firing several contractors who were not meeting standards. Several Louisiana Hemp dealers are concerned that the reopening of the US government may put them out of business since Congress passed a provision that limits how much THC can be sold in consumable hemp products. Get Prodovite Plus from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20.We dive into a head-spinning development in Louisiana’s energy politics: the state’s top oil and gas association is suddenly sounding the alarm about losing its “lead” in carbon capture—a market that wouldn’t exist at all without massive federal subsidies. We break down why carbon sequestration has become the industry’s latest cash grab, how government incentives have warped energy priorities, and why this push has nothing to do with science, climate, or long-term strategy. From the risks Louisiana could be stuck with for generations to the strange public-relations calculus driving major companies, we explore how a pointless, taxpayer-funded industry is reshaping the energy debate.We unpack a new report ranking New Orleans as one of the most “house poor” cities in America—and dig into what’s really driving the crisis. Is immigration pushing housing costs higher, as JD Vance suggests? Or is the story far more complicated? We break down the tangled mix of inflation, stagnant supply, soaring regulatory costs, high crime, and the long shadow of the 2008 housing crash. From $79,000 in government-imposed costs baked into every new home to neighborhoods people won’t buy into no matter the price, we explore why housing affordability is collapsing—and why simplistic explanations miss the bigger picture.We Dig Deep into the emerging dynamics in Shreveport’s mayoral race and why the incumbent, Tom Arseneaux, may be in a stronger position than critics admit. We revisit the major decisions that have defined his administration—from appointing Police Chief Wayne Smith and CAO Tom Dark to lowering the city’s violent crime rate—and explore why those choices could be the backbone of his re-election case. We also look at the challenges facing his opponents. Stormy Gage-Watts enters the race while under scrutiny for open-meetings violations and without residency in the city, raising questions about her message and credibility. And newcomer Michael Mays makes his pitch as a fresh voice, though with little experience to demonstrate readiness for the job.Get TrimROX from Victory Nutrition International for 20% off. Go to vni.life/agr and use the promo code AGR20.There's a major shift underway in Louisiana’s higher education landscape. The governor’s task force on public higher-ed reform has voted to pursue funding for a conservative accrediting body—an idea aimed at challenging the dominance of long-established accreditation groups that critics say prioritize DEI mandates and ideological conformity over academic quality. We break down why accreditation matters far more than most people realize, how these organizations wield enormous power over universities, and why state leaders want Louisiana’s institutions aligned with local values rather than the political priorities of East Coast bureaucracies. From funding and federal compliance to curriculum standards and hiring practices, this move could reshape what intellectual freedom looks like on Louisiana campuses.Plus, we have a little fun guessing the largest cities in the United States with Republican mayors. Play along! And we unpack the stalled effort to bring nearly 1,000 National Guard troops to Louisiana—a plan Governor Landry requested more than six weeks ago to bolster public safety in cities like New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport. The deployment was delayed by the federal government shutdown, leaving the timeline uncertain as major events like the Bayou Classic, Sugar Bowl, and Mardi Gras approach. We discuss why state officials still expect the deployment to happen, how short staffing and record-low recruitment have strained local ...