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S at u r d ay, J u ly 19, 2025
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La. public radio, TV stations seek help Aid sought after ‘devastating’ funding cuts
BY JENNA ROSS Staff writer
Five minutes into a national news program airing Friday afternoon on KEDM, a public radio station in Monroe, a familiar voice spoke up. “Federal funding for public radio was just eliminated by an act of Congress,” Jay Curtis, the station’s general manager, told listeners as part of a request for support. “But one thing will always be true: You have the power to make a big difference right now.” Public radio and television sta-
tions across the U.S. were grappling with news of dramatic cuts in funding on Friday after Congress passed the so-called rescission package that slashes $9 billion from a host of federal programs. On air and by email, stations in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and other Louisiana cities quickly turned to listeners and donors, notifying them of the cuts and asking them for help. Filling the gap will be difficult, if not impossible, station leaders said. The bill claws back $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Pub-
lic Broadcasting, which in turn funds NPR, PBS and member stations across the country. Republicans have argued that taxpayer money should not be spent on public media when, according to Sen. John Kennedy, RMadisonville, “Americans can find the same content — in many cases, better content — online for free.” But station leaders say that especially in rural areas, public media is a rare source for high-quality news and information, essential
ä See STATIONS, page 4A
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Bob Pavlovich, who hosts the ‘All Things Considered’ and ‘Louisiana Considered’ shows at WWNO, prepares for a show on the campus of the University of New Orleans on Friday.
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Ammons stepping down at SUNO State Sen. Joseph Bouie Jr. appointed chancellor
BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By JOHN MCCUSKER
Lafayette native Dustin Poirier waves to the crowd Friday in the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans at the weigh-in for Saturday’s UFC 318 mixed martial arts event. Poirier will face off against Max Holloway for the BMF belt, a symbolic title that is awarded to UFC fighters for their toughness. Poirier plans to retire after the bout and return home to Lafayette, ending a 16-year career as a professional mixed martial artist. ä More UFC coverage in Sports, 1C.
Southern University at New Orleans Chancellor James Ammons is stepping down after six years at the helm of New Orleans’ only public historically Black university, officials said Friday. He will be replaced by state Sen. Joseph Bouie Jr. The Southern University system Board of Supervisors appointed Bouie, D-New Orleans, to Ammons serve as the New Orleans campus chancellor at their meeting Friday. Bouie, who was elected to the state Legislature in 2019, is a retired social work professor who previously served as SUNO Bouie chancellor. He’ll take over as chancellor on Aug. 1. Bouie said in a text message Friday that he will give up his Senate seat to focus on his new role. He added that he hopes to boost SUNO’s enrollment, which has stagnated since the pandemic, push the university to expand weekend and night class and online offerings, and bolster support for students, such as mentorships. The board approved a three-year contract with Bouie and an annual salary of $275,000. He’ll also receive a housing and vehicle allowance, and the opportunity to earn additional incentive pay if he can increase
ä See SUNO, page 4A
$28 million in after-school grants restored for Louisiana BY PATRICK WALL, MARIE FAZIO and ELYSE CARMOSINO
students next month when they return from summer break. Schools and nonprofits like the Staff writers Boys & Girls Club rely on the Louisiana is set to receive nearly money to run summer and after$28 million for after-school pro- school programs that serve an esgrams that had been held up by timated 30,000 Louisiana students, President Donald Trump’s admin- advocates said. It is part of $1.3 istration, easing fears that schools billion for after-school programs would have to cut services for that the U.S. Department of Educa-
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tion is expected to release to states in the coming days, following a weekslong delay while the Trump administration reviewed whether the programs align with the president’s priorities. But nearly $5 billion in education grants that schools had expected to receive on July 1 remains frozen. The federal money, which
Congress approved earlier this year, pays for teacher training and programs for migrant students, English learners, adult literacy, arts and science education and violence prevention in schools across the country. Advocates and educators have decried the funding delay, saying it upended plans for the coming
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school year and could disrupt critical services, including after-school programs that provide a safe space for students and child care for working parents. This week, 10 Republican senators — though none from Louisiana — wrote a letter urging the administration to
ä See GRANTS, page 5A
12TH yEAR, NO. 341