LPB eNews
CELEBRATING LOUISIANA SUCCESS STORIES
2025 LOUISIANA LEGENDS GALA
LPB Special Focus
Thursday 8:30pm
Success comes in many forms and is defined in dozens of diverse ways. But one thing is clear; true success is not so much about what we possess, but more about the person we become and the lives we have touched. For more than thirty years, Friends of Louisiana Public Broadcasting has honored Louisiana successes, sharing the stories of people who have touched the lives of others in a profound way and in doing so, they have elevated our state.
The 2025 Louisiana Legends honorees have excelled in a variety of fields, including public service, military service, arts, philanthropy, and sports. LPB will share their stories during this live broadcast from Louisiana’s Old State Capitol in Baton Rouge.
It’s important to share their stories because maybe in the telling of their successes, we create inspiration, encouragement, and innovation among ourselves, motivating each of us to reach further and touch more lives. We elevate our own lives and in doing so, we elevate Louisiana.
Special thanks to these Gala sponsors: The Gayle & Tom Benson Charitable Foundation, Community Renewal International, The William J. Doré Family, The Washington Commanders Foundation, Louisiana Lottery, and RoyOMartin.
SUPPORT LPB WITH THE LOUISIANA LEGENDS GALA AUCTION
LOUISIANA LEGENDS GALA AUCTION
Explore items and place bids at www.lpb.org/auction
The Friends of LPB Louisiana Legends Gala also serves as a critical fundraiser for Louisiana Public Broadcasting. Right now, your support is more important than ever before.
There are two ways you can take part!
Browse through the site and explore items that catch your eye! There really is something for everyone from spa, food, and unique experiences to Louisiana art, luxury travel and sports packages. You have until May 18 to place bids on most items.
There's also a live auction tab to explore. These items will be auctioned off on the night of the gala, but you can still take part by placing a maximum bid and let the auctioneer do the work for you!
Thank you to everyone who donated items in support of the work we do at LPB.
TOPS SCHOLARSHIPS AND BONNIE AND CLYDE
LOUISIANA: THE STATE WE'RE IN
Friday 7:00pm
Many Louisiana families depend on the TOPS scholarship program to help pay for college but in recent years, the funding hasn’t kept up with rising tuition costs. We’ll look at legislation being discussed to boost TOPS funding.
Plus, infamous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde met their end near the small town of Gibsland, Louisiana.A new museum that showcases the couples’ crime spree and demise is garnering national attention. We'll take you on a tour.
EXPLORE LOUISIANA LANDSCAPES
ART ROCKS! THE SERIES: MEGHAN FLEMING
Friday 8:30pm
Her landscapes explore the coastal marshes of the Sabine Delta, capturing the dynamic between land and water and Louisiana's battle against coastal erosion. Meet Lake Charles landscape artist Meghan Fleming.
FAVORITE MYSTERY BOOKS BROUGHT TO LIFE
DALGLIESH
Series Premiere
Saturday 9:00pm
Based on P.D. James' global bestsellers, Dalgliesh is a riveting mystery series starring Bertie Carvel as the enigmatic Inspector Adam Dalgliesh. A recent widower and acclaimed poet, Dalgliesh employs his exceptional empathy and insight to plumb the darker depths of the human psyche while investigating complex crimes in 1970s England.
In the series premiere, DCI Dalgliesh is sent to a nursing school to investigate the death of Heather Pearce, a student poisoned during a demonstration. But as he uncovers the secrets that infect the school, can Dalgliesh identify the killer before they strike again?
DOCUMENTARIES THAT EXPLORE OUR WORLD
INDEPENDENT LENS: FREE FOR ALL - THE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Tuesday 9:00pm
Tells the story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen. From the pioneering women behind the “Free Library Movement” to today's librarians who service the public despite working in a contentious age of closures and book bans, meet those who created a civic institution where everything is free and the doors are open to all.
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NOVA: CRITICAL CONDITION - HEALTH IN BLACK AMERICA
Wednesday 8:00pm
Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to suffer from chronic diseases than Whites. Why? From false beliefs that permeate modern medicine to life experiences that can damage human cells, uncover the underlying causes of racial health disparities.
GARTH BROOKS CAPS OFF ACL 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
ACL 10TH ANNUAL HALL OF FAME HONORS GARTH BROOKS
Saturday 10:30pm
Austin City Limits Hall of Fame honoree Garth Brooks shares classics and the stories behind the songs in an epic, singalong hour for the series’ 50th. The country superstar performs career highlights including “The Dance” and “Friends in Low Places" and by special request, "Calling Baton Rouge."
WHAT TO WATCH AND WHEN: THIS WEEK ON LPB
Jane Austen fans ALERT! This four-part series is a take on a real-life literary mystery: why did Cassandra Austen, sister to the famous writer, take many of Jane’s letters and burn them? Cassandra’s decision will have consequences for centuries to come! This fascinating, witty, and heartbreaking story of sisterly love stars Keeley Hawes and is based on the novel by Gill Hornby. P.S. - You’ll be able to use your LPB PASSPORT benefit to binge all four-episodes on the night of the premiere!
MISS AUSTEN ON MASTERPIECE | SERIES PREMIERE | SUNDAY 8:00 PM
MONDAY
7pm - Antiques Roadshow NEW The final hour at Maryland Zoo including George Patton's gold WWI trench watch, a 1949 Charles Loloma pot, and a 1944 Joseph Erlanger's Nobel Prize & diploma. One is valued at $150,000 to $200,000!
8pm - Sister Boniface Mysteries NEW The owner of a perfume company ends up dead, impaled on a poker.
9pm - WW2 Women on the Frontline NEW Sorry for last week's mistake! This is the final episode in this series! This episode looks at the little-known feats of female journalists, nurses, and guerrilla fighters.
LIMITED SERIES PREMIERE
PATI JINICH EXPLORES PANAMERICANA
Premieres Tuesday 8:00pm
TUESDAY
7pm - Finding Your Roots Henry Louis Gates uncovers the ancestors that paved the way for actors Valerie Bertinelli and Brendan Fraser.
8pm - Pati Jinich Explores PanAmericana NEW New limited series finds Pati traveling from the northernmost place in the US to the remote island community of Halibut Cove - discovering that subsistence living transcends all differences.
9pm - INDEPENDENT LENS Free for All: The Public Library NEW The story of the quiet revolutionaries who made a simple idea happen.
10:30pm - REEL SOUTH Small Town Universe LPB SPECIAL FOCUS In a quiet West Virginia town, a radio telescope searches for signs of life beyond Earth.
WEDNESDAY
7pm - NATURE Niagara Falls A look at the stunning beauty and wide variety of wildlife.
8pm - NOVA Critical Condition: Health in Black America NEW Exploring why Black Americans experience such disproportionately poor health outcomes.
10pm - Midsomer Murders
THURSDAY
7pm - Miss Austen Regrets A little something to whet the appetite for the series premiere this Sunday on Masterpiece!
8:30pm - 2025 Louisiana Legends Gala LPB SPECIAL FOCUS An inspiring and uplifting evening in celebration of Louisiana success stories.
FRIDAY
7pm - Louisiana: The State We're In LPB SPECIAL FOCUS
7:30pm - Washington Week Roundtable discussion about the week's major news.
8pm - Samantha Brown's Places to Love Sam travels Northern Costa Rica.
8:30pm - Art Rocks! The Series LPB SPECIAL FOCUS Lake Charles landscape painter Meghan Fleming.
9pm - GREAT PERFORMANCES Now Hear This: Barrios: Chopin of the Guitar NEW Augustin Barrios captures the should of Latin America to become the most important guitar composer of the 20th century.
10pm - VOCES Mambo Legends: The Music Never Ends Keeping the sounds of the great Afro-Cuban bandleaders alive for future generations.
SATURDAY
7pm - Last of the Summer Wine A sentimental journey takes its toll on the lads.
7:30pm - Upstart Crow Forget "Festivus" Will and the gang celebrate "Inflated Pig's Bladder Day" 8pm - Up the Women Some of the ladies indulge in Dr. Hamm's "invigorator!"
8:30pm - Moone Boy Martin figures the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. 9pm - Dalgliesh NEW In the season premiere, Dalgliesh is sent to a nursing school to investigate a murder.
9:45pm - Dalgliesh NEW Another student is murdered at the nursing school.
10:30pm - ACL 10th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Garth Brooks Brooks made his ACL debut in 1990 during Season 15 at the beginning of his career!
SUNDAY
7pm - Call The Midwife NEW It's September 1970 and the local dustbin strike leads to a refuse site established outside Nonnatus House. With Rosalind unwell, Joyce takes over her rounds, including a visit to a rude patient who resents being examined by her. Early release opportunity with LPB PASSPORT.
8pm -Miss Austen on MASTERPIECE NEW In 1830, Cassandra Austen arrives in Kintbury after hearing of her friend Eliza's husband's impending death. But her true motive becomes clear Cassandra is searching for the letters her sister Jane wrote to Eliza throughout their friendship. Binge the entire season with LPB PASSPORT.
9pm - Marie Antoinette NEW Marie Antoinette deals with personal grief after the death of her daughter Sophie and faces extortion over stolen love letters to Fersen. Political turmoil, a struggling economy, and Provence's personal attacks push Louis toward a nervous breakdown. Binge the entire season and seasons past with LPB PASSPORT.
EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT: ACOUSTIC ROOSTER
ACOUSTIC ROOSTER AND HIS BARNYARD BAND
Broadcast Special - Thursday 6:30am
ACOUSTIC ROOSTER: JAZZY JAMS
Music shorts now streaming with more to come
Based on Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band, the beloved children’s book by Emmy® Award-winning, Newbery medalist, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander, the ACOUSTIC ROOSTER universe is coming to PBS KIDS with a special and a short-form series.
This will feature ACOUSTIC ROOSTER AND HIS BARNYARD BAND, a one-hour special, and ACOUSTIC ROOSTER: JAZZY JAMS, an upbeat new animated series of 20 shorts that will introduce viewers ages 3-5 to the vibrant world of the arts, specifically jazz music, while reinforcing the importance of collaboration, creativity, and self-expression.
The toe-tapping special follows the musical adventures of the precocious, young Acoustic Rooster, who dreams of joining a world-class jazz band alongside his talented friends, including Mules Davis, Lil’ Herdin, Ella Finchgerald, Duck Ellington, and the Chick-A-Dees (an adorable trio of preschool chicks), whose names are all playful nods to famous jazz greats.
The one-hour special aims to teach kids about foundational music concepts and the importance of teamwork to inspire them to use their creativity as an outlet for self-expression as it opens their eyes—and ears—to the richness of jazz.
MEET THE 2025 LOUISIANA YOUNG HEROES
Today's the day! If you see one of these young people running around Baton Rouge on Monday, April 28, stop and say hello! They are the 2025 Louisiana Young Heroes and today is officially Louisiana Young Heroes Day. Check out LPB social media to see photos from their special day. We'll have more in next week's newsletter!
Congratulations to the 2025 Louisiana Young Heroes:
- Jessica Anderson of Youngsville (Junior at Southside High School)
- Gabrielle “Gabby” Essex of Natchitoches (Senior at Natchitoches Central High School)
- Mateo Guerrero of Bossier City (Senior at Bossier High School)
- Jared Lane of St. Francisville (Junior at West Feliciana High School)
- William Matthews of Baton Rouge (Senior at Belaire Magnet High School)
- Ja’Nika Stanley of Baton Rouge (Senior at Liberty Magnet High School)
LPB’s Louisiana Young Heroes Program is presented this year with the generous support of Presenting Sponsors: the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, the Gayle & Tom Benson Charitable Foundation, and Fishman Haygood; Title Sponsor: Community Coffee; with additional support from the U.S. Army Baton Rouge Recruiting Battalion, DEMCO and McDonald’s. Special thanks to the Louisiana Young Heroes Advisory Committee.
JOIN US FOR CREATURE ADVENTURES THIS SUMMER
Camp LPB 2025: Creature Adventures
June 23-27, 2025
REGISTER HERE
Creature Adventures is a fun summer camp program for children ages 6 through 9! Camp LPB will engage kids in science, technology, engineering, math, and literacy with fun hands-on activities, digital media, and technology featuring the Wild Kratts! Camp is at LPB's Telecommunications Center located at 7733 Perkins Road in Baton Rouge, LA, from 9 AM - 12 NOON Monday-Friday. Cost is $175 per camper plus a non-refundable registration fee of $25.
LOUISIANA LEGENDS GALA AUCTION NOW OPEN
LOUISIANA LEGENDS GALA AUCTION
Explore Now
From VIP travel adventures and exclusive hunting trips, to dazzling jewelry, stunning artwork, and so much more - there's something to spark every passion in the 2025 Friends of LPB Louisiana Legends Gala Auction.
The money raised goes to support LPB's work as Louisiana's Storyteller and as Louisiana's largest digital classroom - helping educators and families as we support our most important resource - our children.
Don't forget to watch the 2025 Louisiana Legends Gala, Thursday - May 1 at 8:30. CLICK HERE to learn more about the Louisiana Legends program.
LPB NOW STREAMING
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