As my mom and two aunts prepared food for us 10 cousins, we worried that we were missing out on the fun on St. Charles Avenue. We weren’t worried about seeing Rex, the krewe that parades after Zulu. In the eyes of a 10-year-old, that was boring.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
The Sting of Fake Tomahawks
Some indigenous people say that it hurts them to see the predominantly white Krewe of Choctaw rolls past, dressed in feathered headdresses and “war paint.” Can they convince the krewe to change?
Posted inCriminal Justice
Gun-arrest data raises questions about profiling
Last year, on Mardi Gras Day, New Orleans police made more gun arrests than any single day in at least 13 years, maybe more, according to arrest data kept on the City Council website, which only goes back that far. Officers arrested 40 people. Most were on Bourbon Street. More were charged with the same misdemeanor […]
Posted inEnvironment
Formosa Plastics gets air permits back, but a few hurdles remain
Advocates still hope to block the permits for Formosa’s proposed petrochemical complex in St. James Parish, a community at the heart of new research into the health effects of air pollution.
Posted inBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens episode 229: ‘Backtracking on promises’
Nick Chrastil on Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams’s decision to work closely with newly elected Governor Jeff Landry’s office, despite his progressive campaign promises.
Aidan McCahill on New Orleans water bills, some of the highest in the nation, and seniors who are feeling the pinch.
Posted inCriminal Justice
District Attorney Jason Williams will cede some New Orleans cases to state prosecutors. What does that mean for criminal justice in the city?
As state police make arrests in New Orleans, the state AG will prosecute the cases, through a new strange-bedfellows partnership between Williams and Gov. Jeff Landry.
Posted inBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens episode 228: ‘The river knows what to do’
Marshland restoration is underway in Barataria Basin. Lafayette Academy families are still trying to catch their breath after the district told them their school would close — and then reversed its decision. A parade celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., returned to its historic route on St. Claude Avenue this year.
Posted inEnvironment
Marshing Orders
To rebuild marshes in the Barataria Basin requires terraces of sand, a map of nearby orphan oil wells and miles of pipe to carry dredged river sediment to degraded wetlands.
Posted inSchools
After herky-jerky process, Lafayette Academy may stay open.
Parents and students at Lafayette Academy were put through the wringer, as the district yanked its charter, announced it would close, and then reversed that decision, with an 11th-hour proposal to direct-run the school that probably won’t be approved by the school board until late February.
Posted inNew OrLEaNS
Down the Drain
The Lower 9 senior center – based in Andrew “Pete” Sanchez Multi-Service Center – has the highest participation rate of any senior center in New Orleans. It’s a must-do stop for candidates running for any office. Seniors eat hot meals and compete at the center’s two tables reserved for cards: one for spades and one […]