School zone speed enforcement ends Friday
Neighborhood security stopped 3 young Black males; A federal judge is weighing a lawsuit over it
Lycée Français board considers $165K CEO contract amid financial concerns
Superintendent eyes racial disparities in school enrollment
Williams presented data on what she called “eligibility schools,” or the handful of New Orleans public schools with some type of eligibility requirement. She identified 10 schools, four with academic requirements and six with a language requirement.
Orleans jail monitors disclose for first time issues found under Hutson’s leadership
Monitors tasked with overseeing the New Orleans jail and tracking its compliance with the long-running federal consent decree said staff falsified suicide-watch documentation, rubber-stamped investigations to justify uses of force, and that the facility is dangerously understaffed.
A charter group closes final school, makes decision on future of daycare
NOCP CEO J’Vann Martin said the board directed the center’s staff to report directly to them and has implemented “strict financial controls” and will help ensure the center has back-office support from NOCP or a third-party business vendor.
Louisiana leads nation in percentage of people in adult prisons for crimes they committed as kids
After 23 years in prison for killing her abuser, she hopes no one in Louisiana has to do that again
Gifted group asks school district to expand services
Orleans Parish Sheriff Hutson withholding investigative records related several ‘serious’ uses of force on mental health tier
Drug-related deaths at Angola prompted strip searches, but who is bringing in contraband?
In Linda Frickey case, DA Williams using controversial legal doctrine to seek life sentences for 4 teens
The decision by District Attorney Jason William to charge the teens as adults was controversial, if not surprising. During his campaign for DA, Williams promised to keep all cases involving kids in juvenile court, and frequently cited research on youth brain development that indicates kids are more susceptible to peer pressure, more likely to engage in risky behavior, and less likely to consider the consequences of that behavior.
Leaks beneath pump stations responsible for New Orleans’ drinking water went uninvestigated for two years
How will the DA’s decision to revive the habitual offender law impact plea negotiations in New Orleans?
Proposal to give police 25-foot buffer raises constitutional concerns
School zone lights must now work in order to ticket drivers
An ordinance passed by the New Orleans City Council requires school zone flashing yellow lights to be working properly for camera tickets to be valid
Judge dismisses suit over Plaquemines LNG facility, environmental groups review options
Judge Wilson Fields of the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge on Monday sided with the state in dismissing the group’s petition but did not rule on the merits of their case. The environmental groups are now evaluating their legal options.
Bill would end eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines
Fears of explosions prompt CO2 pipeline bill.
Dolling, in communion with women who first brought sassy to the streets
Nothing is more fun than watching a group of hip-swinging, raddy-walking, second-lining women, says babydoll Denise Augustine, founder of the New Orleans Voodoo Babydolls, who plans to ‘lay down her umbrella’ and retire after this Carnival season.
Carnival is a wary time of year for thousands on supervision in New Orleans
Curfews and court rules shape Carnival for thousands in New Orleans who are on probation or parole. Others find themselves self-isolating after the trauma of doing time.
Banding Together
In two 9th Ward schools, Abramson and Douglass, students lean on discipline, music, and one another as they prepare for New Orleans Carnival — and for life beyond the parade route.
‘ICE in our drinks, not in our streets’ this Carnival
To make clear that ICE is not welcome in New Orleans, a group of protesters walked the St. Charles route ahead of the Legion of Mars parade, which last year featured armed ICE officers.
23 & 1: Solitary Confinement in LA Prisons is on the Rise; also Local Churches Provide Shelter and Power During Outages Using Solar
Bernard Smith on the dangers of solitary confinement and Delaney Dryfoos on resiliency hubs.
Throw Me Somethin’ Mista
“Throw me my Motha Mista, alive well before age fifty and dancing whole,” writes poet MonaLisa Saloy. This poem kicks off this year’s Lens Carnival Edition, a collection of stories, photography, and poetry.
In departure from norm, Coast Guard demands immigration papers on Louisiana docks
In St. Bernard Parish, fishing deckhands fear death and detention amid regular immigration sweeps - not by ICE, but the Coast Guard. Critics say the Trump administration is undermining the Coast Guard’s other missions - and harming working-class boat captains while sparing industries with powerful lobbies.
Louisiana bets big on ‘blue ammonia.’ Communities along Cancer Alley brace for the cost.
Carbon capture hasn’t delivered major climate benefits — and the plants would still emit thousands of tons of pollution.
My mom showed her support by bringing me a sweater.
At first, the writer’s mom wasn’t sure if she should support her daughter’s human-rights work. “She was very very cautious. It was really hard.”
Angola Farm Line trial testimony reveals traumas tied to field labor
After hard work in the sun on the Farm Line, he’d fall asleep, only to be visited by nightmares, Chadarius Morehead testified on Thursday, in the ongoing federal trial that will determine the constitutionality of forced field labor at Angola.
