Behind The Lens episode 139: ‘We don’t have much good news today’

A spike of COVID cases in prisons. City schools report 116 cases, hundreds of quarantines. And a potential ban on some political contributions for City Council candidates.

This week on Behind the Lens, the New Orleans Ethics Review Board makes a recommendation to the City Council to ban political contributions from Entergy and other city-regulated utilities to council members and candidates.

In criminal justice news, COVID cases are rising fast in Louisiana prisons, according to data released by the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections.

And the NOLA Public Schools district is once again providing weekly updates on cases and quarantines among students and staff. 

Our guests this week are government and cultural economy reporter Michael Isaac Stein, criminal justice reporter Nick Chrastil, education reporter Marta Jewson, and Lens editor Charles Maldonado.

Behind The Lens is available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyGoogle Play and Stitcher. And we broadcast the show on community radio stations 102.3 FM WHIV LP in Mid-City and 90.3 FM WAMF-LP in the Marigny.

Carolyne Heldman

Carolyne Heldman has been in media for 35 years, most recently as Executive Director at an NPR member station in Colorado where she was responsible for new multi-platform content initiatives, strategic planning, research, branding, and non-traditional revenue generation. During her tenure she also created and launched four weekly news, public affairs and cultural affairs programs and monthly live Town Hall broadcasts. Heldman moved to New Orleans last summer with her husband and canine companion and they live happily in The Marigny.