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Behind The Lens episode 176: ‘Plaintiffs look to the court to bring this nightmare to an end’

Gulf Coast 'dead zone' smaller this year, but still larger than it should be. Council tries to rein in facial recognition. And a lawsuit over the 2019 JFK High graduation scandal is still ongoing.
by Carolyne Heldman

On this week’s episode, the New Orleans City Council approved new measures that could provide greater oversight of the recently re-approved use of surveillance technology.

The “dead zone” — a hypoxic area where the Mississippi River dumps into the Gulf of Mexico — is smaller in size than last year, but not due to much-needed pollutant reduction efforts upstream, according to scientists.

A lawyer for John F. Kennedy High School’s graduating class of 2019 is asking a judge to find the Orleans Parish School Board and the charter group that ran the school liable for negligence and educational malpractice after mismanagement resulted in half the class being unable to graduate on time.

Our guests this week are Lens reporters Marta Jewson, Joshua Rosenberg, Nick Chrastil and editor Charles Maldonado.

You can also listen to Behind The Lens on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other services.

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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.

View all posts by Carolyne Heldman