Collection:LPB

Genre: Newsmagazine

Place Covered: Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana, Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, Louisiana

Copyright Holder: Louisiana Educational Television Authority

Date Issued: 1978-09-29

Duration: 00:27:46

Subjects: Politics | Filmed panel discussions | Journalists | OIL INDUSTRY | West Hackberry Strategic Petroleum Reserve | Salt domes | United States. Strategic Petroleum Reserve | EXPLOSIONS | United States. Department of Energy | Health | Cholera | SEAFOOD INDUSTRY | Legionnaires' disease | Louisiana. Department of Health and Human Resources | Water pollution | PESTICIDES | Elections, 1978 | United States Senate election in Louisiana, 1978 | Johnston, J. Bennett (John Bennett), 1932- | Jenkins, Woody | United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana, 1978 | Leach, Buddy | Wilson, Jimmy, 1931-1986 | Roemer, Buddy

Contributors:

• George, Beth Host
• Jackson, Lyle Photographer
• Wilhelmi, Marcia Photographer
• George, Beth Producer
• Wolf, Thom Director
• Hill, John Panelist
• Lynch, Bill Panelist
• Even, Dan Panelist

This episode of the series “Louisiana: The State We’re In” from September 29, 1978, features Beth George leading a panel discussion with three capitol reporters: John Hill of the Shreveport Times and Monroe Morning World; Bill Lynch of the New Orleans States-Item; and Dan Even of the Associated Press. They discuss: the explosion at the Hackberry salt dome in Calcasieu Parish, a site used by the U.S. Department of Energy for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve; a cholera outbreak in Vermilion Parish that could possibly be linked to crabs or shrimp; concerns about the economic impact of the outbreak on the seafood industry; reports of multiple cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Shreveport and New Orleans; the Health department withholding information about these disease outbreaks for several months; polluted lakes and streams in Northeast Louisiana from agricultural pesticides, including Lake Providence, and concerns over the toxicity of the fish in these waterways; the lack of communication in state government; Senator J. Bennett Johnston defeating State Representative Woody Jenkins in the election for the U.S. Senate; and the results of the primary in the 4th Congressional District with an upcoming run-off between Democrat Buddy Leach and Republican Jimmy Wilson and the defeat of Buddy Roemer.