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Behind The Lens episode 162: The ‘clickbait’ special

Millions of dollars in New Orleans property owned by Folgers is missing from the tax rolls. The legislature considers two bills on prison medical services. And a proposed tax for early childhood education could be a financial boon for the NOLA Public Schools district.
by Carolyne Heldman
(April 2018 photo by Jo Naylor, via Wikimedia Commons)

On this week’s episode, the Orleans Parish Assessor has once again inaccurately granted property tax exemptions to Folgers Coffee Company, this time for over $140 million worth of property. (While staff writer Michael Isaac Stein was reporting this story — which, to be clear, is about a state property tax exemption program — he was accused by a spokesperson for the Assessor’s Office of trying to generate “clickbait.”)

The Louisiana Legislature will consider two bills this session that seek to address the troubled state of health care in Louisiana prisons.

And a proposed property tax dedicated to early childhood education could also result in a hefty payout to the NOLA Public Schools district under a contract approved by the Orleans Parish School Board this week.

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

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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.

View all posts by Carolyne Heldman