Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.

A heartbreaking case is driving change at the state Capitol.

How Jodi's law could toughen penalties for hit and runs.

And saw shell crawfish are making a splash in Louisiana.

I'll show you why they're considered a delicacy.

Plus, Louisiana native and championship dancer Genesis Scott is getting ready to launch the next phase of her career.

And our 2026 Young Hero series kicks off this week.

We'll introduce you to Baton Rouge is Jayden Armstrong.

Let's get started.

Let's do it.

Hi everyone.

I'm Christina Jensen.

And I'm Johnnie Atkins and much more on those top stories in a moment on this week's edition of Louisiana, The State we're in.

But first, a bill that would have prevented companies from seizing private property for carbon capture projects has been rejected by lawmakers.

Supporters argued the bill would protect the property rights of individuals, while critics say that carbon capture would benefit the entire state.

Several other bills dealing with carbon capture are still up for debate in this year's session.

Also at the Capitol, a bill aimed at improving the state's hit and run laws is moving forward.

On Tuesday, the House advanced Jodi's Law, named after 20 year old Jodi Man, who was killed in a 2025 crash.

I spoke with her mother, who says she is fighting to make sure no other family has to go through this.

A year ago in Livingston Parish, 20 year old Jody Man was hit and killed by a vehicle while walking along the road.

The driver fled the scene, leaving her family shattered and searching for answers.

Today, Holly Crowe is fighting to change Louisiana law so no other family has to face the heartbreak she did.

The legislation is called Jody's Law and Crowe is urging lawmakers to act.

Sharing her daughter's story in hopes of creating change.

My daughter Jody was struck and killed by a driver who chose to flee while my family was living a nightmare.

He was hiding his vehicle, destroying evidence and going on with his life as if nothing happened.

The man accused is Brandon Genovia.

He is currently awaiting trial in connection to the hit and run that left Jody hospitalized and later claimed her life.

Arrest records show a history of driving related offenses dating from 2013 to 2023.

Genovia was arrested four days after the March 29th crash, but when he was finally taken into custody, he was released without a judge for viewing his bail.

A loophole Jodi's law aims to close.

I mean, by the time we they called us to let us know they had him, he was already out on bond, you know?

And then, to add insult to injury, when she passed away, you know, they were going to arrest him for the negligent homicide.

And he let them know he was going to turn himself in Monday.

Like, how do you have that option?

You know, that's a luxury you shouldn't have after some guy dies because of your actions.

And then when he turned himself in with less than two hours later, like they literally took his picture and he was out.

Under current law, someone accused of a hit and run doesn't automatically have to appear before a judge before being released on bond, even in fatal cases like Jodi's.

Advocates say that loophole allows dangerous drivers to avoid accountability and puts public safety at risk.

Jodi's law would change how hit and run cases are handled, including requiring a hearing before bail can be set and creating a rapid alert system so law enforcement gets vehicle information quickly.

At the hearing, families impacted by hit and run crashes spoke one by one, sharing their stories and calling for change.

She was a person with dreams, laughter and a future.

That is why I'm here to urge you to support House Bill 806.

Lawmakers acknowledge the emotional weight behind the legislation, saying reforms are needed to close gaps in the system.

We cannot bring Jodi back, but we can make sure the system that failed her does not continue failing others.

I'm asking you today, mother lawmakers, to please support HB 806 to.

Thank you so much.

I'm so sorry for your loss and thank you for fighting for Jodi.

There has been growing public support for Jodi's law, including advocacy, testimony and a petition tied to the effort.

Supporters have also shown up to court hearings for the man accused holding justice for Jodi signs and standing with Holly as the case moves forward.

You've got to think that Jodi is probably looking down at everything that you're doing for her and how how would she feel?

I mean, if this law passes, she'd have a law in her name.

Yeah, I think she would be really proud.

You know, she'd be really happy.

She always wanted to help people.

You know, she did everything she could to help others.

And I think that this would make her very happy knowing that she was making a difference for a lot of people's lives.

As Jodi's law makes its way through the legislature.

Holly Crow continues her advocacy, sharing her story, pushing for legal reform, and reminding lawmakers that behind every statistic is a life lost and a family left behind.

I want justice for Jodi.

Switching gears now, let's take a look at what's going on this week in the world of sports.

Sports correspondent Victor Allen joins us now with more.

What's going on this week?

Great to see you all.

Of course you still have baseball going.

The basketball season is coming to an end with March Madness for both the men and women.

But big bad basketball news in Louisiana this week coming out of Baton Rouge.

And that's because this week in Tiger Town, they were singing the line from the Broadway hit Hamilton on campus.

You know, here comes the general.

That's because the Tigers welcome their new head basketball coach back to campus for the second time in his career.

Will Wade was officially introduced as the Tigers head coach after being let go in 2022.

He took a year off, but in the last three years has won two conference titles and been to the NCAA tournament three times with two different programs.

At Monday's announcement, Wade said he wasn't born here, but Louisiana is home, and while the Tigers are getting a more mature coach this time around, he still has that same coaching intensity.

Welcome back.

Well.

I know people have been talking about us a little bit.

Understand I'm not for everybody.

And we understand also that LSU isn't for everybody.

But one thing we both understand is I'm for LSU and LSU for me.

And make no mistake about that.

I want everybody to know what LSU basketball like our time is now with LSU basketball.

I didn't come here to reflect and talk about the past and any of that stuff.

I came here to win and we're going to win immediately.

Wade has won 69% of his games during his head coaching career.

This season, he took NC state to the NCAA tournament.

The previous two seasons, he was in Lake Charles, where the Cowboys won back to back Southland Conference titles and went to the tournament in both seasons.

There was also a big announcement in Lafayette this week when it comes to college football.

Raging Cajun athletic director Doctor Brian Maggard has been named to the College Football Playoff selection committee and will start his three year term later this year.

Quite an honor for Mack, representing not only Louisiana, the Sunbelt Conference and the Group of five.

You know, it wasn't something he actively sought, but also called it one of his highest honors, both personally and what it will mean to the Cajuns.

It's really an exciting opportunity, one that, I don't take lightly.

But at the same time, I'm equally excited about the exposure that it's going to bring to our university and to our athletics program.

I think any time you're a part of such an elite group and process is this that certainly it is.

It's newsworthy.

People have an interest in it.

And, I'm just excited to be a part of it and look forward to the experience.

And we certainly wish him the best of luck.

Finally, there's a Baton Rouge area native, Zachary, to be specific, who has developed into a powerhouse in the world of competitive dance, both nationally and internationally.

Now, as she leaves college, she's getting ready for the next step in her career.

Showcasing her talents by leading one of the nation's prominent HBCUs somewhere they've never been before.

Collegiate National Dance competition.

Well, if you're in the competitive dance world or in a hip hop, you know my guest right here.

If not, she's a six time national champion Baton Rouge native who has been a competitor out at Unlv, just won two national titles two months ago down in Orlando.

It's Genesis Scott joining us just as it is.

Great to see you.

Welcome.

Yes.

Thank you so much.

It's good to have you here.

We have a lot to talk about because you're about to make a big splash in the in the dance world.

We'll talk about that in a moment.

But first of all, congratulations on the national championship.

Not just hip hop, but game day.

How was it for you?

And how is it for you being a Baton Rouge native, performing for you, in a way, going up against one of your, if not your biggest rival in LSU?

Yeah, it's actually funny you ask that.

I am a Baton Rouge native.

My mom was an alumni of LSU, so I grew up in Death Valley.

I loved going to the football games.

I loved the ambiance, and I've always been, you know, a lover of LSU and Baton Rouge.

However, I had a certain dream, you know, I had a certain dream that required a different, area of me.

And I feel like, unfortunately, Baton Rouge, as much as I loved it, as much as I wanted to stay here and, you know, pursue my passion, it didn't serve the areas that I needed to be fed.

So I had to go elsewhere.

And luckily, I was able to find a home in Las Vegas.

And they took me in and really embraced me, not just for what I could be for their program, but for what I already was, you know what I mean?

And they challenged me in ways that I could have never imagined.

Definitely.

I didn't know what I was getting myself into when I first took that route, but I now sitting here five years later, so glad that I did.

This field is competitive.

You also cheer for the WNBA team out there for Las Vegas Las Vegas Aces.

How has this evolved since you left Baton Rouge and went to in a V, in terms of the level and style of competition, because it seems almost impossible for those with the naked eye to see how you all better yourself for what you did the year before, how this is elevating.

It's funny, I started when I was in middle school, actually.

I was been doing this for 12 years and when I first started, it was just something that I was interested in.

You know, there was not this public eye on it at all, but I stayed true to it because I was really, really excited about it.

And at the time it was entertainment.

If anything, you know, entertainment and pushing the art form forward and forward and forward.

But now in the college space, dancers have fought so hard for recognition as athletes that we've pushed ourselves far beyond, far beyond, far beyond.

And at this point, it's become it's unfathomable, honestly, what some of these dancers can do with their bodies and, you know, the athleticism and not just the athleticism, but also the grace that comes with dance.

We're talking about real skills that are being put into these artistic displays.

You know.

You're about to make a huge splash from Baton Rouge.

You go to Unlv and now from Las Vegas, you're about to go to Atlanta, Spelman College, you just made a big announcement on social media that you are now the new choreographer for Spelman, and it's the first time for an HBCU to get ready to compete at UDA.

How did this come about for you?

Yeah, this is actually, first of all, I just want to say this is not just inspiring to me as a choreographer, but as a black female dancer.

Coming up in this space like it is, it's huge.

You know, I'm very excited about it.

I was reached out to by their founder.

Her name is Jillian, and she's a really, really great student there at Spelman.

She founded this program through her love for dance.

And it became you know, and now they are reaching out and pursuing, going into the UDA space, going and fighting for representation has always been difficult for, smaller programs, in a space like this.

And I think it's time, you know, for a very, very long time, we've not really seen a whole lot of black female representation.

And Spelman is taking this leap not just to say that we can do it or that it's our time, but because, you know, we belong here.

There has been black representation, not just in the dancing, but in the art form that is put on stages.

There's hip hop, you know, there are things that are founded in black history.

And it's great that there is a program that's willing to step up, be authentic in, you know, represent that.

It begs the question, why has why have HBCUs not actively participated in UDA?

Because what I found very interesting and very personal in your video is that you said, as a young black girl, you didn't have anybody that looked like you in the industry, if you will, to look up to now you are about to start something at a school that's never done this before.

So I'm sure on that personal side, there's a there's an extra special feeling based on the way you grew up now.

Of course.

Yes.

And, you know, I, I can't answer that question.

Why exactly?

An HBCU has never entered this space.

I think at the end of the day, UDA was marketed towards universities and schools that maybe again, just didn't look like those HBCUs.

They maybe didn't have those funds, they maybe didn't have those those backgrounds.

They didn't have those stylistic choices that HBCUs are rooted in.

You know what I mean?

Majorette style.

That is a huge, huge part of the dance culture in HBCUs, and it just simply wasn't celebrated there when UDA was first brought about.

It just simply wasn't the culture that was put on those big stages.

And the beautiful thing is that art has evolved and we've started to blend things more.

We started to appreciate each other in different cultures, and you see these amazing blends that are being put on the stage now, and it's it's time for us to, as you know, black Americans to represent ourselves in these areas.

Great to see Baton Rouge natives making such a big splash on the national scene.

And I can't wait for Spelman and Unlv to have a showdown to see who you're going to be cheering for when it goes down the stretch.

And look, the fact that you're in town, we'll have a chance to catch up.

It's great to see you.

Congratulations on your success out West, and certainly best of luck with Spelman.

We look forward to seeing them in 2022.

Thank you so much.

I hope you do well.

It's great to see Genesis God making big waves on the dance scenes nationally.

Theater.

She is so talented and she's making history.

How incredible.

Yeah, what a great talent.

With all the success she had at Unlv, we look forward to seeing what she can do.

It's gonna be a lot of fun.

And she is super, super talented.

Very exciting.

Thank you.

Victor.

You bet.

Of course, this season is at its peak now and a new style of crawfish is gaining popularity.

Softshell crawfish can be cooked and eaten with no peeling necessary.

Here's a look at how it works.

It's springtime in Louisiana, and everyone's planning for those weekly crawfish boils with newspaper covered tables, messy fingers, and close to the sweet smell of boiling mud.

Bucks for crawfish are a long standing tradition in Louisiana, but now some restaurants are serving more than just the tail.

Introducing the softshell crawfish.

It's a rare Louisiana delicacy, only harvested when the crawfish molted exoskeleton or basically climbed out of his shell.

Todd Edmunds is raising these softshell.

Crawfish for.

More than 40 years, and his new farm is in the Louisiana.

So how did you get started with these soft shell crawfish?

Well, I guess I was in the construction business and I just got burned out on that.

So I started with, like 150 trays and evolved into fell on the roof with cat food, which was one of the biggest buyers.

They were buying 20,000 thousand a year.

When the traditional crawfish is served, it can be quickly pulled apart.

The tail was then peeled from the shell before it can be eaten, but with the soft shell.

Each serving include the unpeeled tail, the entire body, and even the crawfish head.

There's lots of rows of crawfish, but I see these over here.

The soft shell.

They're kind of vibrant looking and that's how I'm picking them out.

They won't pinch you because they're getting ready to lose their shell.

What we do is we take this top, pull off, and we pull it like that, and this is nothing but me.

Crawfish naturally sheds the hard shell when the crawfish outgrows its own physical body.

This leaves a short window of time to seize that shell lost body only about two hours.

If they shed up top.

The other crawfish.

I'll even so every day you have to pick up the mess of meat just when you lose the money.

Young, fast growing crawfish may lose their shell once a week, and the adult crawfish may molt every few months.

Workers at LTE soft shell crawfish are constantly monitoring many troughs searching for that one.

Crawfish that shedding is shell.

So you have two guys coming in and working every day.

How many hours a day?

Ten hours a day.

Wow.

And at seven days a week, I guess.

Seven days a week.

After the soft shell, crawfish are picked up and gathered in separate storage, they are immediately kept cold to stop the new shell from going back.

Then they're individually cleaned and packaged in airtight containers, separated for size and labeled.

Well, there are lots of restaurants in Louisiana serving crawfish spread out over a table where you just eat the tails.

There are just a few restaurants that serve crawfish a different way.

Let's go eat.

Finding a restaurant that takes the time to serve this labor intensive delicacy can be hard, but it's the job you must be willing to do.

We follow these crawfish mountain, the swamps, the shedding lamb.

And now to Louisiana Kitchen.

What do people think about softshell crawfish when they first hear about it?

Well, you have to be from Louisiana to actually ask for it because, a lot of other people, when they see it and ask for it, and they and you try to explain what they are, actually they will make that face that, oh, I'm not going to eat that.

Alfred Colucci is the owner and chef of Louisiana Lagniappe, and explained that preparing and serving the softshell crawfish is not so easy.

So how do you hook them?

We got to marinate them for, 30 minutes to an hour on a buttermilk and, Louisiana hot sauce.

After that way, they've come in, seasoned flour.

Leave them back in, buttermilk, back in that flour, and we drop them in a fry.

Once the softshell crawfish are coated, seasoned and fried, they are most famously featured in a dish called the coco dry.

So they got the days.

They will get the crowns, they will get the golden brown color, and they will phase one of all.

At the base is a fresh Filet-O-Fish, which is pan sauteed, topped with a soft shell and a rich sauce.

Are you ready to order, sir?

Yeah.

Do you have the coco treat?

That's the fish filet with the softshell crawfish covered in hollandaise sauce.

Yes, sir.

Excellent choice.

The coco tree is a popular.

Entrees, Elena.

Using the soft shell as a primary topping.

It's a highly sought specialty when crawfish are in season.

And our lagniappe specialty, the coco drink looks great.

Thank you.

Well seasoned.

Well, it tastes like crawfish, but the consistency of fried shrimp or fried catfish.

And it's served over redfish, which is pan fried.

Absolutely delicious.

So I give the soft shell crawfish two thumbs up or two claws up.

So from picking up live crawfish in the marsh to timing out the shedding of the shell to the preparation at the restaurant, this is one meal I look forward to every crawfish season.

Our 2026 Young Hero Series kicks off this week with a senior at Liberty Magnet High School.

He's focused on creating a more inclusive world.

Jaden Armstrong is a business owner, clothing designer, and engineer in the making.

Here's his story.

Jaden is intelligent.

He's selfless, and he's empowering.

Me.

2026 Louisiana young hero Jaden Armstrong.

His parents describe him as a young man willing to go above and beyond to help anyone in need.

If he can help, he he will help.

I will never forget when he was younger and he was in elementary school, and I was picking him up from school, and we were at a stoplight, and he saw a guy on a corner and he was like, mom, I have like some snacks left.

You know, from lunch it was crackers that he had never opened.

And he was like, can we give it to him?

So he wanted to roll down the window and give it to him.

So he's always been like a giving.

Child, always been the same person.

And that's one of the things that I that I'm proud about him the most.

I think back to when he was in, in pre-K or kindergarten in the South Downs, and his teacher came to, to me and his mom and, and said that Jaden gave up his whole recess to spend time with a kid that was in a wheelchair.

And it was just that grace and that love that he has.

He's always carried that throughout his whole life.

James empathy and compassion stemmed from his upbringing and his close family bonds.

Jaden has two younger siblings, five year old Cecilia and nine year old brother Rossy.

Both idolize their big brother, who is in turn inspired by them.

So Jayden's relationship with his siblings is amazing.

Cecilia and Rossy they love Jaden so much.

They treat him like he's a celebrity whenever he comes over to the house.

My middle son Rossy.

He's visually impaired and he makes Jaden sit down in a chair and they sit there and they explore within his imagination.

Seeing like how he had different challenges, like drew himself every day.

Something as simple as that.

I was wondering, like I wanted to create a solution for him to so he can, like, be more independent.

Seeing his brother's challenges, Jaden created a line of clothing called Feel Better that incorporates Braille.

I did this program called Young Entrepreneurs Academy.

Basically, they take a young high schoolers that want to be entrepreneurs, and they go through a whole course throughout the whole school year that helps them build their own business and grow as an entrepreneur, because I feel like they're everywhere, no matter what language you speak with is, English or Spanish or Braille.

Everybody can understand comfort, and I wanted to provide the basic comfort for everybody.

We feel better.

And right here, with the blue text.

It reads in Braille.

Blue right here.

The braille marking gives independence, like, allows people like my younger brother to be independent with, sorting out and picking Nickelodeon.

Jaden won first place at the 2025 Young Entrepreneurs Academy Community Pitch Competition, and then went on to place in the top six finalist nationally for his sensory friendly clothing brand.

Jane is my son, so of course I'm going to think, hey, this is a wonderful idea, but just the reaction and the support that he received from others, it was overwhelming for me because I'm like, oh my God, this is my child.

This is my son.

I just look in his eyes and I can just see everything was glowing about him.

In the process of building out feel Better then his program with Young Entrepreneurs Academy.

I watched him come up with multiple ideas and then to see where he landed.

In honor of his brother.

But then taking that same thought process and building it out for everyone to feel better.

I was blown away and I was filled with so much pride.

Jaden's compassion and entrepreneurial spirit are the qualities that prompted Rachel Stevens to nominate him for Young Hero's recognition.

In addition to his many other accomplishments, these include participating in the Louisiana Youth Seminar and Xavier's Magnificent Mail Program.

He also volunteers through the Jack and Jill of America organization and as a member of the Liberty Magnet High School basketball media team.

Jaden was actually the first name that I thought of when it was time for nomination season.

And it wasn't even a hesitation.

You would never guess from meeting him that he has this list of accolades.

And then you start to talk with him, and and he's and you learn.

Oh, you oh, you won this, this major entrepreneurial award.

Oh, you went to nationals, will you please top ten in nationals for this major?

Oh, you started your own business or you've done this or you've done this or you.

And yet he's just as unassuming, just kind of easy to talk to person.

Which is really admirable because, some folks with his level of accomplishment don't have that kind of humility along with it.

Jaden, school counselor, agrees that his desire to help others is at the heart of his genius for problem solving.

Showing empathy is something that, once again, you don't really see that with many high school students, he always puts himself in the shoes of others.

He knows how to make decisions.

He's an excellent decision maker, and I always say that he's a problem solver.

And I think that that's the future engineer in Jaden because he's a problem solver.

In college, I wanted to study, mechanical engineering isn't is is basically another word for problem solvers.

And there's something there's, like, something I take very seriously.

And I believe that being an engineer, I could turn, sensory friendly clothing and brand into a sensory friendly world.

I'm Zane Armstrong, and I'm a young hero.

Johnny.

Clothing that incorporates braille.

How unique is.

That?

And what a great idea.

I've never seen that before.

Me neither.

And we've got more superheroes coming up in the next few weeks.

We do.

LPB is Louisiana Young Heroes program is presented this year with the generous support of presenting sponsor, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library.

Title sponsor the William J. Dora family and with additional support from community Kathy Demko and McDonald's.

That's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LPB anytime, wherever you are with our LPB app.

And you can catch OPB news and public affairs shows, as well as other Louisiana programs that you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and Instagram.

For everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

I'm Christina Jensen.

And I'm Johnny Atkinson.

Until next time.

That's the state we're in.

In.

Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together, we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum.

Located in Jennings City Hall, the museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and by Visit Baton Rouge.

And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.