Comedienne, author and colorectal cancer survivor Brenda Elsagher, who'll speak tonight at the Pennington Center.

Jim talks with Douglas Baker, from the Louisiana Department of Revenue, about the schism between lawmakers and the Governor over use of one-time money to balance the state budget, and recent legislation to reduce tax breaks for businesses to make up that imbalance.

New Orleans area bankruptcy lawyer Bill Cherbonnier, who is opposed to House Bill 567, by Baton Rouge Rep. Erich Ponti. It would repeal the state's ban on for-profit debt adjusters.

Former LSU Hospitals head Dr. Fred Cerise discusses health care challenges facing the state and the LSU hospital system...and the disagreement over accepting the federal Medicaid expansion included in the Affordable Care act.

A visit with New Orleans composer and saxophonist Brad Walker.

The legislature’s bipartisan budget negotiations have yielded a late-night preliminary deal, struck after the legislature closed up shop on Monday. The plan will cut tax exemptions and reduce spending to curb the state's dependency on one-time funds.

The deal includes cutting tax exemptions by 15 percent across the board. That will free up $329 million, enough to replace a large chunk of the half a billion in one-time funds in next year’s budget.

A bill seeking to expand the state's ban on texting-while-driving to include posting statuses on social networks has advanced in the legislature.

Jim talks with Jacquie Stalls and Eric Dexter, of Forum 35, who is hosting a panel discussion on same sex marriage (moderated by Jim) this Wednesday night.

Former U.S. Representative Charlie Melancon talks about what he's been doing since leaving Congress in 2010, and what's going on now in the nation's capital.

After five years of steep budget cuts, some members of LSUnited, the faculty union, are hoping the legislature’s budget negotiations will raise enough revenue to prevent further cuts.

Lawmakers are looking at plans to cut tax exemptions and get rid of one-time funds, which might provide more stability to the state’s universities.

Michael Russo, a librarian and an instructor, said LSU’s finances are dismal.

"A half billion here, a half billion there," Russo said, "I don’t know what else they can cut."

May is a transitional month for Louisiana gardeners as the intense heat arrives this month. The ideal planting season for hearty trees and shrubs is over, many heat tolerant vegetables can be planted now.