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.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Federal award or not, Iberville redevelopment to move forward on tax-credit financing
By Ariella Cohen, The Lens staff writer | A $651 million redevelopment of the Iberville public-housing complex will be paid for with loans from the state, government-backed bonds and money from selling low-income housing tax credits, Housing Authority of New Orleans plans show. First submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
As penance, maybe Rev. Storms can save other ‘Christian’ bigots
It’s a shame that 99 percent of the hard-line “family values” moralizers ruin it for the rest of them. Take Grant Storms, for example — please. The reverend, best known for protesting the Southern Decadence festival in the French Quarter, was recently arrested after two women said they saw him masturbating in his van at […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Investigations
Some judges who were challenged by DA say he gamed the system when he was on bench
Cannizzaro’s impressive stats as a judge were sometimes inflated, say two current judges, as well as an attorney assigned to Cannizzaro’s courtroom. If true, his actions would raise ethical concerns.
Posted inOpinion
Coastal residents report oil spill's lasting effects
By Shannon Dosemagen, The Lens contributing opinion writer | Ten months after the Deepwater Horizon sank into the Gulf of Mexico, the long-term impacts of the oil spill continue to surface in coastal communities, and the developing picture is not a pretty one. Since 2000, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade (LABB) has trained communities affected by […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Land Use
Looking to buy a Road Home house at auction? What if it’s one you already own?
By Karen Gadbois, The Lens staff writer| The list of Road Home properties at risk of demolition is nothing new. It appears on the website of the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office, and is updated from time to time by CDM, the contractor that manages the demolition process. The list is a way of letting […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
With RSD Superintendent Vallas leaving, state moves in new liaison, undertakes search
By Jessica Williams, The Lens staff writer | In preparation for Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas’ departure in August, state education officials took the first step in the transition to new leadership on Monday, as State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek appointed a new liaison to the RSD to handle governance issues. Patrick Dobard, […]