City may have improperly used millions in special taxes to satisfy state pension obligations.
Posted inSchools
Responding to parents, Orleans Parish school district agrees to run Cypress Academy for two years
If the school closes after the 2019-20 school year, students would get priority in the citywide enrollment lottery.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
City of New Orleans promises $800,000 in local tax rebates to host 2024 Super Bowl
It has also pledged police protection and zones where only NFL-sanctioned commercial activity will be allowed.
Posted inInvestigations, Schools
Personalized learning: The little-noticed educational experiment in New Orleans schools
Personalized learning is transforming schools in the Crescent City, but what does that mean for students? Some educators support the philosophy but worry it’s causing kids to spend too much time learning alone in front of a screen.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
It’s not enough to ban fakery at Council hearings; we need a real Community Participation Program
A way to generate citizen involvement and grassroots power
Posted inInside the News Room
Lens’ exposé of astroturfing campaign spurs city inquiry and gains national attention
Our investigation into the paid actor scandal is now the most-read story in The Lens’ history.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Land Use
Council freezes most common type of short-term rental licenses in residential neighborhoods
It’s the first major rollback of the year-old law that legalized and regulated rentals via services like Airbnb, VRBO and HomeAway.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations
New Orleans City Council opens investigation into campaign to pay actors to support power plant
The investigation will “dig as deep as humanly possible” into the astroturfing campaign, said Council President Jason Williams.
Posted inSchools
Live coverage: Cypress parents meet with Orleans Parish school district officials to discuss future of their charter school
The school district says it will step in to run the school next year so the financially struggling school doesn’t close.
Posted inSchools
Two days after parents learned Cypress Academy will close, parish superintendent decides to keep it open
The charter school told parents Sunday it would close for good this week.