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‘Text me!’ Mayor’s new direct-text service is run by her campaign, raising questions about how data is being used
Cantrell recently urged residents to text about a city commission, but the texts are not going to the city government.
Recent Posts
Behind The Lens episode 88: ‘Having to work 10 times as hard’
“Text me,” maybe! How will data from Mayor Cantrell’s new campaign texts be used? And, a panel discussion on color, coronavirus, and what’s left of the “American Dream”: local broadcaster Don P, community activist Jenny Yanez and Lens columnist Crystal Zheng join the conversation.
Council seeks to strengthen enforcement of city’s Living Wage Ordinance with new reporting requirements
Ordinance requires annual reporting, inflation adjustment provision in multiyear contracts.
New Orleans bail fund plans a ‘mass bailout’ this weekend
Group plans to spend more than $200,000 to bail dozens of people out of New Orleans jail.
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District releases reopening guide, schools’ plans to come next week
Charter schools, which make up nearly all of the district, will release their own plans beginning next week, officials said.
Schools can start providing special education help now to make up for COVID-19 closures, state says
State wants local officials to prepare to provide compensatory services for students affected by statewide school closures.
Man who died in custody at New Orleans jail was positive for COVID-19
Christian Freeman died a week after the Sheriff’s Office said there were no known infections at the jail.
Resources
Weather-related disasters are increasing. That’s bad news for mental health. Tell us your story.
We’re digging into the stressful toll of wildfires, hurricanes and floods — and now COVID-19 on top of them. We need your help.
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Coronavirus guide
Latest coronavirus news from The Lens, updated restrictions and links to available resources.
opinion
Droplets, cloth masks and the Broad Street pump
“This isn’t an issue that should have two sides. Given the preponderance of data in favor of mask wearing, it seems sensible to promote their usage. Countries that were early to adopt masks have controlled their epidemics more effectively.”
Does COVID-19 pose a greater threat to New Orleans culture than Hurricane Katrina?
“Like the rest of the country, New Orleans is suspended in a state of anxious anticipation. This tourism-dependent city is tiptoeing into reopening, with neither a vaccine nor widespread testing. It’s a dilemma facing every municipality, but in a city whose identity, culture and economy are fueled by human interactions, the issue seems particularly fraught here.” Martin Pedersen interviews author and former Lens editor Jed Horne about the tough times ahead.
Breath, voice and the human race
“Nothing saddens or discourages me more in these distressing times than the massive chasm between our experiences as members of this one race — a chasm manifested tragically in the capacity of one member of our race to take away the breath of another member. Even worse, in the evident belief of that person that he had the right to take breath and life away from another person.”
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.