Back in November 2005, while most of us were still wringing out our houses and trying to figure out how to piece our lives back together, Mayor Ray Nagin announced a plan for free Wi-Fi – citywide! But even before Nagin’s tech guru, Greg Meffert, was convicted of corruption, reality had fallen well short of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics, Investigations
IG's report slams Sheriff Gusman and Judge Sens for hiring wives
New Orleans Inspector General Ed Quatrevaux issued a report today blasting a cozy wife-hire arrangement between Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman and family friend Administrative Judge Paul Sens. The hires, first reported earlier this year by The Lens and our reporting partners at WVUE-Fox 8, reeked of “impropriety” but were not criminal, the report concluded. As […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Einstein Charter approves 2012-2013 budget
The Einstein Charter School Board of Trustees approved the school’s budget for the upcoming school year at its monthly board meeting Tuesday night, July 11. The approved budget contained minor adjustments to expenses, mainly related to insurance costs. Property insurance costs jumped from $17,000 to $49,000 this year. The 188 percent increase in costs come from […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Budgetary shell game: Case of the missing $200G for juvy monitors
How much money did the City of New Orleans appropriate for Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman’s Electronic Monitoring Program this year? a) $200,000 b) $504,000 c) $600,000 d) $704,000 e) $904,000 f) all of the above g) none of the above (Warning: It’s a trick question.) If your guiding document is the adopted New Orleans […]
Posted inSquandered Heritage
Our do-it-yourself approach to driveways: permit optional
Much has been made of our resilience. We New Orleanians are so resilient that we pull up entire sections of curbstone to install a driveway where none existed. And we do it without a permit. The owners of one Mid-City property decided to make an oak-shaded driveway big enough for four cars. No matter that […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Confessions of a literary impresario: Love's labor not lost
I ordered an obscure novel from an independent publishing house in Brooklyn on May 11, 2011, the day the book was released. A few hours later, the publisher, whom I’d never met, emailed me and asked, having noticed my mailing address, whether I knew of anywhere in New Orleans that the author and his cohort […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Lycée Français passes budget
Editor’s note: Story updated July 13 to reflect that the final vote had taken place. The Lycée Français Board unanimoulsy passed its $3.1 million budget Tuesday, July 10. Board Members present included board chairman Dr. Jean Montes, Catherine MacPhaille, Hemalatha Banangada and Paige Saleun. Ex-officio Jean Claude Brunet, Consul General of France in New Orleans, also […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Board meeting agenda released
Review the N.O. Charter Science and Mathematics High board agenda for their July meeting here.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
Teams will help schools with major curriculum changes
The Louisiana Department of Education today announced the creation of a support team to ease districts’ transition to student curriculum changes and new methods for educator evaluations, both of which will begin in the coming school year. The curriculum, called the Common Core State Standards, is an initiative being used in state education systems across […]
Posted inCharter Schools, Schools
Lycée Français Charter School schedules another budget vote
After The Lens reported that the Lycée Français Charter school voted in June on its 2012-2013 budget without making adequate public announcements prior to its budget hearing, the school has re-scheduled its budget vote. A hearing will be held tonight, July 9, at 6:30 p.m. at 5401 S. Claiborne Ave. According to correspondence with Catherine […]