For the first time in years, the recently combined papers teamed up with the nonprofit ProPublica news service to give us the urgent, in-depth coverage that the worsening crisis deserves.
Recent maneuvers on short-term rental enforcement jeopardize public trust, and the city can’t afford that right now
When people no longer trust the system, they stop showing up to voice their opinion, or to vote in favor of ballot measures intended to finance improvements for the public’s benefit.
Councilwoman Kristin Palmer has ‘serious skepticism’ that the city will be able to enforce new STR rules under Cantrell’s draft budget
Council members also questioned whether the Cantrell administration is properly tracking and allocating millions in funds dedicated to short-term rental enforcement.
Behind The Lens episode 56: ‘This is a rather tough round of assessments’
School assessment grades are in, City Council approves new electric and gas rates, and an Algiers home belonging to Senator Troy Carter goes up in flames.
Council passes $1 million fine and lower allowed profit for Entergy, over objections from Mayor Cantrell and the company
Entergy threatened to bring litigation against the city or try to change the profit rate again next year, which would cost customers an additional $7 million in regulatory costs, the company claimed.
Bollinger attempts to transfer $8 million industrial tax exemption to New Orleans, bypassing the local approval process
The exemption the company wants to transfer predates new rules calling for local input.
Compare 2019 New Orleans school ratings
The majority of city schools earned a C or a D in the Louisiana Department of Education annual A-F letter grade ratings released Wednesday. The ratings take into account state standardized tests and other factors.
Algiers house severely damaged in fire is owned by state senator, has thousands in outstanding city fines
Sen. Troy Carter told The Lens that the fines were levied in error, and there were never any true violations on the house.
Council avoiding further debate on Entergy’s allowed profits, despite objections from Entergy and Mayor Cantrell
Last week, Mayor Cantrell sided with Entergy over the City Council, saying the company should be allowed to collect a greater profit from customers.
NOLA Public Schools sends warning letters to three schools over special education concerns
The state identified issues with the schools last year after monitoring them as part of a federal consent decree. They were placed on corrective action plans months ago. It’s not clear why the district waited until last week to respond.