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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Expedia agrees to help city of New Orleans find violators of short-term rental laws
The company told the city it would provide names of more than 200 hosts next week.
Facing closure, Cypress Academy parents demand answers from charter, parish school boards
"We ask that you offer real solutions to this terrible situation in which you have put our families," they wrote.
New Orleans City Council to consider ban on most whole-home short-term rentals in historic neighborhoods
The council would drop a current study and replace it with one looking at cities with strict regulations.
Parents get three days’ notice that Cypress Academy will close at the end of the school year
Students will be transferred to another charter network.
