Explaining its previous denials, the department said that it doesn’t employ its own facial recognition software. Instead, it accesses the technology through state and federal partners. An ACLU lawyer said that was a ‘distinction without a difference.’
Posted inNews
NOPD presents budget to City Council, as activists continue calls to defund
The police department is facing a cut next year, but it’s relatively modest compared to other departments.
Posted inSchools
In final year of charter contracts, selective schools again sit out OneApp
Officials say they aren’t required to use the centralized enrollment system until their new contracts begin.
Posted inCriminal Justice
In city budget hearing, council members say they want public defender funding closer to DA, but it’s unclear where they’ll find the money
An August ordinance calls for the defenders to be funded at 85 percent of the DA’s Office. Cantrell ignored it in her budget proposal. One council member floated the idea of cutting the DA’s budget.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
‘I hope the voters kill it:’ Library board member comes out against Cantrell-backed tax proposal on December ballot
Board member Andrea Neighbours also criticized a proposed policy from the Cantrell administration to change employee discipline and grievance policies.
Posted inSchools
New testimony reveals record-keeping issues at Kennedy HS went back years
Staff malfeasance and record-keeping issues caused problems for Kennedy’s class of 2019.
Posted inCoronavirus
‘An entirely different ball game’: City Council begins 2021 budget hearings under fog of uncertainty
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a new president and Mayor Cantrell’s property tax proposal make it tough to predict how much money the city will have to work with next year.
Posted inCoronavirus
Health providers warn of diminished HIV testing during pandemic
Metro New Orleans testing and treatment hub reports that its tests are down nearly 90 percent from an average year.
Posted inBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens episode 104: ‘Indefinitely and perpetually’
A wrap on Tuesday’s local elections. (Those have actually ended.) And the Wisner Trust is back in the news again.
Posted inCoronavirus
NOLA Public Schools reports 6 new COVID-19 cases, 160 quarantining
Ten total ‘active’ cases connected to New Orleans public schools, according to the district’s weekly update.