The “mighty” Mississippi again is offering a dazzling display of its power. Unfortunately, Louisiana is blowing an equally mighty opportunity to show the world that we are serious about saving our coast.
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Tales of a river gone mad and a would-be suicide’s cork leg
Historian and local mensch John Barry has written some recent articles comparing the current Mississippi River flood conditions to the Great Flood of 1927, about which he authored the definitive account. These prompted me to look up other Mississippi flood years, and through the power of the Internet I learned about the flood of 1882. […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations
Why the secrecy? Gert Town community agency won't show how it's spending lawsuit windfall
Five years after the Gert Town neighborhood started collecting $404,000 for community renewal, the non-profit dispensing the cash refuses to give residents an accounting of how it’s being spent.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
House votes to jack up Traffic Court fees, despite ample current revenue streams
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | The state House this afternoon voted 86 to 1 to approve a bill that would let New Orleans Traffic Court charge higher fees even though its budget has ballooned recently. The legislator who sponsored the bill and one of the court’s judges gave different reasons why the […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Likening BP’s blowout to an airline crash still doesn’t fly
Last July, I took issue with a dubious airline analogy promoted by foes of the offshore drilling moratorium during BP’s Macondo deepwater oil gusher of 2011. Big Oil apologists repeated the analogy ad nauseam: “We don’t ground all airplanes after one crash, do we?” They hoped to portray the Obama administration’s response to the blowout […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Despite record income, Traffic Court judges pushing bill to give themselves more money
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | A bill scheduled for debate Wednesday on the floor of the state House would let New Orleans Traffic Court charge higher fees even though its budget is booming. Further, the legislator who sponsored the bill and one of the court’s judges gave different reasons why the bill […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Land Use, Schools
Tulane erases scandal-plagued frat house; cop station to rise on cleared Broadway lot
By Karen Gadbois, The Lens staff writer | Tulane on Tuesday dumped a frat house into the dustbin of Greek history to make way for a new campus police station. A wrecking crew made quick work of the former Pi Kappa Alpha house at 1036 Broadway, catty corner to The Boot, a popular campus watering […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Jim Brown makes interesting points; some are even his own
Former Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Brown hosts a radio talk show on a nationwide network of affiliates. He’s also one of the most widely reprinted political commentators in the Louisiana blogosphere. From the Daily Kingfish to the Louisiana Conservative, from Bayou Buzz to various other outlets around the state, Jim Brown’s columns have received significant […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Asleep at the switch: Police dispatchers disciplined for napping on the job
The New Orleans Police Department disciplined five police dispatchers in March for sleeping on the job at various times last year, records show.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
If at first you don't succeed … Developer vows to re-bid Auditorium makeover plan
By Ariella Cohen, The Lens staff writer | The political ally of former Mayor Ray Nagin whose plan to turn the Municipal Auditorium into a media production facility was slammed as a boondoggle, hasn’t given up on the project. On Saturday night developer Stewart Juneau will host a fundraiser to benefit restoration of the Armstrong […]