Residents look to St. John Parish history to save a rural stretch of the West Bank from industrialization
West Bank residents fighting the gigantic Greenfield Grain Terminal are heartened by news from the National Park Service, which will spend the next year considering a largely rural, 14-mile stretch of Great River Road for a prestigious historical designation.
Recent Posts
LNG plant operators change their tune on carbon capture
While tax subsidies allay financial concerns about carbon capture and storage (CCS), key questions remain about the controversial technology and whether it’s able to reduce carbon emissions.
Mother of young man killed by JPSO deputies sues for body-camera video
Mallory Cains believes that the footage will show that deputies wrongfully shot her son, Calvin Cains, without giving him a chance to surrender.
A known risk: How carbon stored underground could find its way back into the atmosphere
Orphaned wells, which weren’t properly plugged and abandoned, are more likely pathways for CO2 leaks. And state databases show seven orphaned wells within the townships slated to provide underground carbon-dioxide storage for Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG terminal.
With numbers on the rise, New Orleans jail nears legal population cap
It’s unclear what — if anything — will happen if the cap is reached, but officials say they are looking for ways to reduce the number of people locked up in the troubled facility.
‘The car never started.’
Calvin Cains III was killed in early June by a Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies who said they used lethal force to prevent Cains from running them over. But two key witnesses dispute that account, saying that Cains had just gotten into the car and may had not have even turned the key.
Federal judge rules that officers violated no civil rights even if they drew guns on Black youth looking for lost chihuahua
The two officers worked for one of the city’s security districts, which are not subject to the NOPD’s federal consent decree and its enforcement of constitutional standards for its officers.
PODCAST
Behind The Lens episode 214: ‘That doesn’t happen on this side of the river’
This week on Behind The Lens, a fire at the Marathon refinery in Garyville grabs attention across the river and region, a federal judge rules that officers violated no civil rights even if they drew guns on Black youth looking for their lost dog and what parents should know about how NOLA Public Schools posts…
opinion
Letter: Don’t throw the baby out with the Airbnb-bathwater
A couple who rented out half of their double asks the city to consider small operators instead of using lotteries or banning residential Airbnbs altogether.
Discussion, not litigation, brings solutions.
As Phase III proponents push to break ground on a new “mental health jail,” litigation is supplanting discussion, leaving critical design and staffing issues unresolved and costs ballooning.
NOPD chief search: what we should be looking for
Among other things, look for a skilled manager, an innovator, who can, despite low manpower, devise strategies to fight crime and move the department away from its long-standing culture of favoritism.
Why a long list of Louisiana lawyers are urging the Pardon Board and governor to grant clemency to those on Death Row
Attorney James E. Boren contends that Attorney General Jeff Landry’s office has too many conflicts to be advising the Board on this matter.
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.