It’s been an interesting week on the New Orleans news media scene — alliances, partnerships, collaborations, competition — and it’s left people a bit confused. The short explanation, from The Lens’ perspective, is that we want to continue to expand our cooperative efforts to get our reporting to as many people as possible, on whatever […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
UNO to create major newsroom, drawing work from The Lens
Working through WWNO-FM, the University of New Orleans will create a new nonprofit newsroom before the end of the year, the school announced this morning. As previously announced, The Lens and NolaVie.com have been in talks with WWNO since late last year about a collaborative relationship, and both nonprofit operations will be contributing to this […]
Posted inLand Use
Past deadline, Jon Johnson starts work on empty 9th Ward building
As he awaits sentencing in federal court, disgraced former City Councilman Jon Johnson finally is working to rehabilitate a Lower 9th Ward rental property for which he was awarded a taxpayer-financed loan. The Lens and our partners at FOX8-TV reported on the property in May, highlighting the lack of work despite a $166,000 loan from […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations
After storm, flood, frustration and demolition, family finally gets a home
By Bob Butler, Fellow, G.W. Williams Center for Independent Journalism, and Danielle Bell, The Lens staff writer | Seven years to the day since Jewell and Kisa Holmes moved into their first house in New Orleans, they moved into their second. What happened in between was a tale of financial confusion, pressure, bureaucracy and frustration that is sadly […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Punchline drunk: Knock-down fight at a stand-up comedy club
Weapon of choice for open mic stand-up hopefuls. Comic punchlines were interrupted by actual thrown punches last night at Carrollton Station during the weekly “Think You’re Funny?” open mic stand-up comedy show. Green performs at Carrollton Station, sans assailant. photo: Scotland Green Only 10 minutes into the program a fight erupted in the side alcove […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board approves retirement plan for Craig, declines to assist Carver alumni group
Friends of King School met in regular session on July 25, after passing budgets for the two schools under the board’s management: Martin Luther King School of Science and Technology and Joseph Craig Elementary. Principal Doris Hicks, chief executive officer of the schools, updated the board on an overture from a group of George Washington […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board seeks increased parent participation, enhanced after-school programs
At its first meeting of the school year, the board of Andrew Wilson Charter briefed the public on a June retreat in which members brainstormed ways to encourage parent involvement and enhance after-school programs. School officials also gave an update on recent staff hires, current budget figures, and enrollment. The school is expanding its after-school […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board approves budgets for both schools, but frets about funding delay for special ed
The board of directors who run Martin Luther King School of Science and Technology, as well as the Joseph Craig Elementary, approve budgets for the 2012-13 school year at their meeting July 19. Discussion began with the budget for Craig, which the Friends of King School board begins operating in the coming year. Board members […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Day after critical report from IG, criticized judge takes time off
It was a bustling morning in Judge Paul Sens’ courtroom at the New Orleans Municipal Court building on Broad Street. A batch of inmates in orange jumpsuits was present, as were lawyers, court clerks and security officers. But it was Judge Mark Shea sitting on the bench where Sens should have been. A New Orleans […]
Posted inOpinion
Busting Jon Johnson shows early promise of a new kind of news
Councilman Jon Johnson’s indictment and abrupt resignation last week caught political observers off guard, but the gist of his wrongdoing was disclosed by my former colleagues at The Lens more than a year ago. The Times-Picayune, which recently announced savage newsroom cuts as part of a transition away from daily print publication, only managed to […]