Two years after Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana’s coast, the catastrophic damage it caused to homes and infrastructure remains unrepaired in many parts of southeast Louisiana. Despite the slow progress, especially when it comes to home repairs, the Federal Emergency Management Agency recently notified residents that it will soon dramatically increase the cost of the temporary […]
Posted inCharter Schools
Lycée Français board considers $165K CEO contract amid financial concerns
The board of Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans will consider a three-year, $165,000 salary contract for CEO Chase McLaurin, with the potential for significant annual increases, at its board meeting Tuesday night, as the school grapples with financial concerns. The draft contract includes the potential for two $15,000 increases. One, if the school is accredited […]
Posted inEnvironment
Nonprofit floats stormwater fee to shore up drainage system costs
The city’s needs require a new approach that prioritizes equity, the group argues.
Posted inNews
Superintendent eyes racial disparities in school enrollment
Williams presented data on what she called “eligibility schools,” or the handful of New Orleans public schools with some type of eligibility requirement. She identified 10 schools, four with academic requirements and six with a language requirement.
Posted inAudio
Behind the Lens Episode 204: ‘Some of the most shocking things we heard about were medical and mental health care’
Our guests this week are reporter Nick Chrastil on what deficiencies monitors found at the Orleans Parish Jail and reporter Marta Jewson on racial diversity in the city’s charter school system.
Posted inEnvironment
Mississippi River shipping infrastructure is aging. Who should pay for the repairs?
Around 175 million tons of freight travels on the Mississippi River each year, and from the river’s headwaters to southern Illinois, a series of locks and dams guide barges through the journey. Traffic is only increasing, but the locks and dams have aged far past their life expectancy. Even functioning properly, they slow barges down, […]
Posted inOpinion
Our children are too precious for us to give up and go home
There are a lot of injustices that come with living in an area surrounded by polluting plants. Knowing that the air is constantly being poisoned and causing your children to develop health problems is a major one. Living with the fear that major fires and explosions will happen is another. But realizing that the folks […]
Posted inNews
Orleans jail monitors disclose for first time issues found under Hutson’s leadership
Monitors tasked with overseeing the New Orleans jail and tracking its compliance with the long-running federal consent decree said staff falsified suicide-watch documentation, rubber-stamped investigations to justify uses of force, and that the facility is dangerously understaffed.
Posted inNews
A charter group closes final school, makes decision on future of daycare
NOCP CEO J’Vann Martin said the board directed the center’s staff to report directly to them and has implemented “strict financial controls” and will help ensure the center has back-office support from NOCP or a third-party business vendor.
Posted inBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens Episode 203: ‘They wanted to go after the grannies in the River Parishes’
Pam Radtke from Floodlight talks about how industry is pushing back against local opposition groups, Lens reporter Nick Chrastil speaks about Louisiana’s incarceration rates and reporter Marta Jewson talks about a daycare run by a closing charter school group.