School’s out again for some students due to omicron. A City Council vote on pedicabs raises concerns about fairness. And a four-year old class-action suit over conditions at a state prison finally goes to trial next week.
Council approves measure to give Mayor’s Office a say on education grants
Harrah’s Fund dollars previously went to the Orleans Parish School Board. But the city has other educational priorities.
Outgoing council members approve pedicab license cap
The ordinance codifies a 45-license cap, which has been in effect for 10 years under an extended ‘pilot period.’ An amendment could allow more licenses, but not for at least two years.
Class-action lawsuit over conditions and mental health care at David Wade correctional set for trial next week
Prisoners claim they are not treated for mental illness, kept in solitary confinement for months.
Amid COVID-19 surge, Algiers Charter reverts to remote learning
The NOLA Public Schools district is tracking 136 COVID-19 winter break cases and 451 people are quarantining. Those numbers don’t include tests taken this week.
Council to vote on permanent pedicab limit despite objections from hopeful worker cooperative
The move would block potential pedicab competitors, and cement market control among three companies that have held the permits since they were first awarded in 2011.
Another New Orleans charter school will close due to low enrollment
IDEA Oscar Dunn is the second school this week that officials have said will close due to enrollment problems. The school opened in 2019 and has operated through three pandemic school years.
First school closure announced as NOLA Public Schools tackles ‘right-sizing’ amid declining enrollment
FirstLine’s Live Oak elementary school will close at the end of the school year. FirstLine took over the school in 2018 but officials say it has struggled with under enrollment.
‘Everybody needs oversight’: Sheriff-elect Susan Hutson talks about her plans for remaking a troubled agency
Hutson will have a lengthy transition period, not taking office until May. It’s not yet clear whether, or to what degree, she will be included in decision-making during the transition.
The unsolved crime
Months after a close friend was found dead, shot in her home, there has been no progress from the coroner or the police.