Like many of you, in recent weeks I’ve been totally consumed with Katy Perry’s “Firework” video Why?. First off, the song is up tempo and has fireworks, which are fun. Second, some of these fireworks are shown spewing from Perry’s upper torso — and you don’t see that every day. Third, Katy’s personal fireworks are infectious; […]
Posted inOpinion
War on Blight more courteous but seems to lack coordination
By Karen Gadbois, The Lens opinion writer | The thing that will not die. A friend of mine – Ed — called and invited me to attend his code enforcement hearing on Wednesday. For him, it’s an event that’s beginning to feel like Groundhog Day all over again. The house in question is one he […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations
Lens probe prompts City Hall to take a closer look at low-ball boathouse leases
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | Mayor Mitch Landrieu has promised to revisit Municipal Yacht Harbor boathouse leases to ensure that taxpayers are getting a fair deal. The administration’s announcement comes a day after an investigation by The Lens and FOX8 News revealed that the leases are going for just $200 a month, […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations, Land Use
City brings in only a portion of what the market demands for sought-after lakefront boathouses
How much would you pay to lease a prime lakefront boathouse at the city’s yacht harbor? How about $200 a month?
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations, Land Use
'Reinventing' New Orleans? Landrieu team steers dwindling recovery dollars to humdrum projects
Despite Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s lofty rhetoric about reinventing the New Orleans, most discretionary federal grant money is going toward rebuilding streets and buildings.
Posted inSchools
UNO Charter Network making moves to get every education major into classrooms
By Naomi Martin, The Lens staff writer | All education majors at the University of New Orleans would take on teaching roles in the four Capital One-UNO charter schools, under a new plan presented to the charters’ governing board. The New Beginnings School Foundation oversees 1,640 students in four schools: P.A. Capdau Elementary, Gentilly Terrace […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Changes in NOPD's arrest policies save city nearly $2 million in jail fees so far this year
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | The city has saved $1.9 million so far this year in payments to Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman thanks to policy changes that have led to housing 300 fewer prisoners a day. But City Council Budget Committee Chairman Arnie Fielkow said the city’s financial relationship with Gusman […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
Student fees vary widely throughout Orleans public school system, Lens study shows
Public education is free, right? Wrong. From uniform costs to “enrichment fees,” New Orleans parents increasingly pay something toward their children’s education.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Cutting coastal cash is perfect complement to Big Oil’s free ride
Belated thanks to Gambit for reprinting a Bloomberg News article on the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s unwillingness to hand out big fines to the oil industry. I linked to a summary of the article in my Feb. 24 opinion column, and was pleased to see that Bob Marshall cited the Bloomberg piece in his […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
Confusion swirls as BESE ponders proper size of neighborhood attendance zones
Correction: The description of the admission process at RSD open-enrollment charter schools has been amended to reflect that, if applications exceed capacity, students are chosen by lottery. By Jessica Williams, The Lens staff writer | The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education had a rare meeting in New Orleans Wednesday night to ponder rules […]