Behind The Lens episode 154: We’re sorry. There are no rapid tests in stock at this location.

School's out again for some students due to omicron. A City Council vote on pedicabs raises concerns about fairness. And a four-year old class-action suit over conditions at a state prison finally goes to trial next week.

On this week’s episode, COVID cases are way up with the rise of the Omicron variant, prompting some New Orleans schools to go to remote learning again. COVID isn’t the only reason schools are being shuttered. This week, the New Orleans school district announced the upcoming closures of some under-enrolled schools in its effort to “right-size” the system.

Also, the New Orleans City Council takes a vote on a permanent pedicab limit, despite objections from a newly formed company seeking to operate in the city.

And a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of prisoners at David Wade Correctional Center, a Louisiana state prison, claims the facility doesn’t provide adequate mental health care and keeps people with mental illness in solitary confinement for months or years on end. After nearly four years, the case is finally going to trial next week.

This week’s guests are Lens reporters Marta Jewson, Nick Chrastil and Michael Isaac Stein and editor Charles Maldonado.

Carolyne Heldman

Carolyne Heldman Rovira has been in media for 35 years, and is currently the podcast host and producer for Behind The Lens. Heldman served as executive director at Aspen Public Radio, an NPR affiliate, where she launched four weekly news, public affairs, and cultural affairs programs. She has been a guest lecturer at Tulane University, is a frequent guest and moderator for the Aspen Institute, Rocky Mountain Institute, and the American Enterprise Institute.