‘Auld Len Synes’ – Top 2023 stories

In September, four months after the death of Calvin Cains III at the hands of Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies, The Lens reported on the accounts of two key witnesses, who disputed the official account, saying that Cains had just gotten into the car and may had not have even turned the key. Cains was killed in early June by Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies and The Lens also reported about it then. Deputies said they used lethal force to prevent Cains from running them over.

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In a move was largely made to bring down the jail’s population, Sheriff Susan Hutson placed some pre-trial defendants – who are still innocent, until proven guilty — in the notorious Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, which one public defender called “really problematic on a human-being level.” The move also worries victims, who fear cases could stall if defendants are not prepped for court and transported on time.

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Several historic sites would suffer “adverse effects” from construction of gigantic Greenfield Grain Terminal, says review of rural St. John the Baptist Parish – which was recently placed at the top spot of a nationwide list of places vulnerable to climate risks. In September, too, opponents of the grain terminal in St. John received national attention, when the National Park Service announced that it would spend the next year considering a largely rural, 14-mile stretch of Great River Road for a prestigious historical designation.

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The city’s much-hailed violence-interrupter program fizzled, after some alleged that the Cantrell administration effectively abandoned it. Not long after The Lens published its story, the city announced a revival of the program,  through a contract with University Medical City that stated its its purpose very simply: “New Orleans faces a severe epidemic of gun violence. Hospital-based violence-interruption programs are evidence-based interventions that can reduce shootings and preserve health and life.”

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It’s now been six months since Revell Andrews, 18, was shot down on St. Claude Street and Franklin Avenue — “for nothing,” as he came home from his summer job at a local theater. A 14-year-old boy was caught through security footage and arrested for the killing, which still seems as senseless today as it did six months ago. Murders in the city this year totaled 119 this year, according to the city’s murder database.

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Though Marathon was built in 1976, it is considered the last significant oil refinery built in the United States. That’s partly because of community opposition to new refineries, a position that people in Garyville understood well in September.  The refinery’s noxious fire dealt another blow to Garyville neighbors, weary of fighting harmful emissions. And across the river, the blaze strengthened West Bank neighbors’ commitment to block the introduction of industry there.

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Tax breaks under ITEP, the Industrial Tax Exemption Program, will likely cost the parish $2.8 million for each permanent job with Venture Global, which is currently ramping up construction, causing traffic jams and using up precious Mississippi River water.

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On some streets in Mid-City, iconic crescent-and-star meter covers were recently replaced by ordinary-looking discs wired with “smart” meters. While the meters are meant to solve the Sewerage and Water Board’s inflated bills, do the new plain covers detract from the city’s traditional streetscape? 

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