Tracking the sediment carried by the muddy Mississippi
New research shows that typically, less than 10% of land-building alluvium reaches the Bird’s Foot Delta region, the southernmost reach of the river, where it meets the Gulf.
Recent Posts
Judge’s order requires Farm Line ‘be treated with human decency’
For the second consecutive year, a federal judge tells the DOC to provide Farm Line workers with protections from the sweltering Louisiana heat.
‘It’s just not fair’
Nearly 1,000 Louisiana prisoners, including a Jefferson Parish man convicted by an 11-1 jury verdict, hope for relief in a non-unanimous jury bill that could hit the Senate floor on Wednesday.
KIPP and NOLA Public Schools argue over special education of a kindergartener
Parents said that their young child was too sick to go to school. But the school disagreed, and so the child received no services last year, then started this year with no services. It’s still unclear who’s to blame — and how to catch other students before they fall through the cracks.
Through a new Mississippi River channel, Mother Nature shows the land-building power of sediment diversions
As the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion flounders amid politics, some scientists say that doubts about its effectiveness can be addressed by Neptune Pass, which branched off the Mississippi on its own and is creating the largest new delta in North America.
School leaders, board “cautiously optimistic” about city’s settlement offer in tax-skimming lawsuit
Over the past five months, as the two parties negotiated, charter leaders have been tightening belts and hoping that the city will finally agree to hand over 100% of property-tax money to schools, instead of skimming away millions each year.
Screen Time
Disciplinary incidents dropped sharply within the Orleans Justice Center with the advent of electronic tablets, which stay on for 17 hours a day, bringing those in the jail new options — movies, music, videogames, and e-messages — all of which are tied to new charges — 50 cents for an e-message and about a penny…
opinion
The New Orleans jailbreak: crisis, blame, and a system built to break
Some of the loudest voices talking about problems that led to the jailbreak are the same ones who’ve supported underfunding and cuts to social services, education, and mental-health programs—drivers of crime and incarceration in the first place.
Working for bike safety, after suffering a severe bicycling injury
Bejasa, an avid bicyclist who spent three months in a wheelchair after being hit by a car, asks Lens readers to join her at two upcoming bicycle-safety events this weekend. See details below.
Legislature must demand that Mid-Barataria Diversion proceed, as planned
At stake is decades of scientific consensus, years of bipartisan commitment and the credibility of Louisiana’s entire coastal program.
Does the Louisiana Legislature represent us, or should we find someone else?
Last week, the state Senate Judiciary committee passed SB 74, a bill that would automatically funnel all arrested 15- and 16-year-olds into the adult court system. Yet, as Sarah Omojola notes, every single senator on that committee comes from a district that recently voted down Amendment 3.
PODCAST
Behind The Lens episode 273: ‘Caught in the lurch’
Delaney Dryfoos on the the largest new delta in North America. Marta Jewson on how the decentralized New Orleans school district caught one special education student in the lurch between NOLA Public Schools and KIPP New Orleans.
About the Lens
The Lens aims to engage and empower the residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. We provide the information and analysis necessary to advocate for more accountable and just governance.