In a budget address given this morning at Gallier Hall, Mayor Mitch Landrieu stressed his administration’s commitment to higher performance standards for city government. “For too long, the citizens of New Orleans have not gotten their money’s worth,” he said. “Because it’s not just about money, it’s leadership and results. I’m serious about performance, and […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Sheriff ordered to pay $650,000 to tourists who were wrongly imprisoned
A jury has awarded $649,300 to two Ohio men who spent almost six weeks in custody after Katrina, despite never being charged with a crime.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Brees needs daddy time
New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees recently tweeted a plea for help. We are looking for boy names starting with a “b” that are uncommon. Not in most baby name books. Thanks to all for any ideas Since I’m always ready to assist, here are two uncommon baby names. The first is Ballantine, an homage […]
Posted inSchools
Charter schools not required to comply with proposal to help special ed students
Without a change in policy, the state can’t require New Orleans charter schools to participate in a centralized enrollment system and other reforms proposed Tuesday to help schools better serve New Orleans’ special-needs students. Among the changes proposed by State Education Superintendent Paul Pastorek is that all schools use a common application form, and that […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Sheriff: Not my job to release uncharged Katrina inmates
Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman told a jury today that he was not to blame for failing to release uncharged inmates from his jails during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Instead, the sheriff argued that it was up to Municipal Court judges to order the release of his inmates, and nobody ever told him to […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Citizen-participation plan gets chilly reception from council
Despite years of work involving dozens of meetings with thousands of residents, a plan to create a formal system for citizen interaction with city government has run into a buzz saw of opposition, with the most objection recent coming from a city council member. The Committee for a Better New Orleans has been devising and […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Never-charged inmates describe “putrid” Katrina jail
Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman appeared in U.S. District Court today to defend his office against a civil-rights lawsuit by two Ohio men who spent weeks in custody following Hurricane Katrina, despite never being charged with a crime. The men were passing through New Orleans for a night on a road trip, but they ended […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Landrieu administration hasn’t provided budget documents
Although Mayor Mitch Landrieu pledged to make the city budget process more open and accountable, his administration has failed to comply with open-records laws and make public the budget requests submitted to him by department heads. The Lens asked for the department-level requests on Sept. 30, hoping to get a look at what each city […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Once again, sheriff tells city to pay up or lose security
10.11.10 Story updated at end with mayor’s comment. Original post: Sheriff Marlin Gusman has threatened to cut court hours and pull security services from the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court unless the city pays him an extra $500,000 by Oct. 25. Gusman took his stand in letter Wednesday to Mayor Mitch Landrieu. Without it, he […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations, Schools
It's none of your business: Most charters don't comply with open-meetings law
The state charter school law frees independently run public-school campuses from many laws. However, that doesn’t include the state’s open-meetings law.