The United Nations Global Plastics Treaty: validating the struggles of fenceline communities in Louisiana
Though the Biden Administration backtracked its support of a cap on plastic production only a week before UN negotiations begin in South Korea, Louisiana advocates see the tide turning on plastics in a way that could turn future plastic-production facilities in Louisiana into even riskier investments.
Recent Posts
Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice to end contract with troubled Jackson Parish jail
Invoices show that Jackson charged OJJ nearly $2 million dollars over the past year to house juveniles in the jail, despite grave allegations of abuse and mistreatment.
Compare 2024 school performance scores for New Orleans charters
Though its score climbed a little, the NOLA Public Schools district received the same grade, a C, from the state of Louisiana for the third year in a row. The state’s A-F letter grades are particularly high-stakes for 12 charters, who could face closure at the end of the school year.
To prevent suicide, New Orleans daughter urges states to let people ban themselves from buying guns
Donna’s Law, which allows people to ban themselves from gun ownership, has proven one of the few areas of gun policy where Republicans and Democrats can agree. But it has made little headway in Louisiana, home of the bill’s namesake.
School Board seizes $20 million cash settlement, future funding, amid financial crisis
The Orleans Parish School Board settles a years-long lawsuit against the city, to provide financially strained schools with help that includes a swift, $20 million cash infusion and $70 million for education over 10 years.
As Mississippi River towns experience whiplash between drought and flood, mayors look to new insurance model
At least two New Orleans agencies tested parametric insurance policies during Hurricane Francine – with mixed results.
‘Cajun Coral’ could reshape former oil and gas platforms along the Gulf Coast
A decommissioned oil rig site off Grand Isle offers a new shallow-water template for the Louisiana Rigs-to-Reef programs. Where rigs once stood, the 3D-printed concrete could create bustling coastal reefs.
opinion
Promises Unfulfilled: The Politics of School Choice
Amid questioning from parents who cannot find good schools to enroll in, school-choice advocates need to find more and more avenues to advance their mantra, to hold on to it.
Stepping up for New Orleans workers, on Tuesday’s ballot
“People tell me they’re tired of working for minimum wage and not being able to afford the basics. Elected officials beg for their votes, promising this-and-that, and then disappear to serve the interests of the powerful.”
Helping young people leap hurdles
A group of talented young African American men had little hope that the city could help them – until they learned the ways that the city could change.
PODCAST
Behind The Lens episode 258: ‘Floodplains’
Delaney Dryfoos and Eric Schmid on new insurance models Mississippi River towns are leaning on. Nick Chrastil on juveniles leaving the Jackson Parish Jail.
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.
