By Karen Gadbois, The Lens staff writer | It’s no longer legal to borrow a paraplegic’s wheelchair and fake infirmity yourself – not if your intent is to soften the hearts of people you’re panhandling in the Central Business District. Downtown ATM machines? Do your begging elsewhere, as long as it’s not a bus or […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Limbaugh’s clownish guess at Katrina costs no laughing matter
Here’s a lovely quote from Tuesday’s Rush Limbaugh radio show: LIMBAUGH: “Does anybody know how much it cost to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina? Anybody have the number? Snerdley, they have started it. I have been to New Orleans. They have started rebuilding. It’s got to be several hundred billion, right? Has to be. I have […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Louisiana pols fiddle with facts while Japan’s reactors burn
The onslaught of disasters in Japan right now stuns the imagination: a huge earthquake, a devastating tsunami, overheating nuclear power plants, and even an active volcano. Thousands have perished, hundreds of thousands are homeless, and millions are enduring winter nights without reliable power. The human suffering is appalling. While I understand that U.S. TV news […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
Politicians side with parents asking review of plans to put KIPP charter at Colton site
By Ariella Cohen, The Lens staff writer | After weeks of heated debate over the future of Charles J. Colton Middle School on St. Claude Avenue, city and state elected officials are asking that Louisiana Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek put a six-month hold on the discussion and conduct a fresh “community process” moderated by […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Criminal Court judges' attendance, time on bench vary widely, according to DA stats
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | Some of the city’s Criminal District Court judges are spending a lot more time on the bench than others, records compiled by the District Attorney’s Office show. At opposite ends of the scale for the 12 judges, Judge Robin Pittman spent 1,175 hours on the bench last […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
It's an oldie but a goodie: Sunshine is the best disinfectant, and we need a good dose
By Steve Beatty, The Lens staff writer | Happy Sunshine Week. Unlike other recent “weeks” and “days” invented by the greeting-card industry, this particular week is meant to help the general public, not honor a specific group. We’re here to remind people of their rights to observe and participate in government. The collection of laws […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
After six years on the Road Home, some things haven't changed, residents charge
By Karen Gadbois, The Lens staff writer | Governors and mayors and presidents have come and gone since Katrina, but Louisiana’s all-time favorite whipping boy seems to have eternal life: the Road Home program. Exasperated was the one word that best way described the crowd that gathered Wednesday night in the City Council chamber for […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
D.A. Cannizzaro fires back by releasing Judge White's attendance record
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro has retaliated against a critic by releasing numbers that he says show Judge Laurie White to have the poorest attendance record of the Criminal District Court’s 12 judges. White last week accused Cannizzaro of regularly orchestrating “pick and pleas” in his courtroom when […]
Posted inOpinion
When good times roll, must crime cameras roll, too?
By Mark Moseley, The Lens opinion writer | I trust you did something unstructured and excessive during Carnival. That’s the reason for the season, right? The morning parades after Mardi Gras are noticeably less festive. Everyone’s back in their regular costumes, congregating together to receive ashen foreheads instead of colorful beads. It’s a time for […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
David Simon tosses bead
Even the “Treme” boss himself had to work the Muses parade shoot. David Simon joined others in tossing beads to the actors, who were pretending to be looking up at a passing float. And they weren’t even great beads.