We scan The Times-Picayune’s legal ads so you don’t have to. Here’s a look at some selected items from the past week.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
City gets reprieve to spend balance of grant money
After sitting on most of a half-million-dollar grant for nearly two years, the city of New Orleans has convinced the Rockefeller Foundation to give it another three months to spend the money on getting citizens more involved with government. Without the extension past Monday’s expiration, the city would have had to return the unspent balance, […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Landrieu letting sun shine on city contracting process
Mayor Mitch Landrieu today announced a series of “sweeping reforms” to city contracting designed to bring a new level of cooperation, transparency and equity to the process. The awarding of these contracts had been an opaque process, frequently criticized by City Council President Arnie Fielkow as well as many civic and good government groups. The […]
Posted inEnvironment
Alternative for dispersants to break up oil hampered by politics and bureaucracy
Fewer controversial oil-spill issues exist right now than the use of dispersants. Specifically, environmentalists, residents and clean-up workers are concerned about BP’s use of petroleum-based Corexit brand, which is more toxic than many of the alternatives approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and is only 55 percent effective on the type of oil gushing […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Without bolder action on spill, greatness to slip from America
For the second time in five years, an incredulous nation watches the New Orleans region deal with an out-of-control, man-made disaster. And, once again, an incredulous nation watches the government mount an ineffective response. Five years ago, Americans watched water gush through breached floodwalls and drown 80 percent of New Orleans. Helicopters dropped huge sandbags […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Council increases transparency with subcontractor ordinance
With little to no fanfare, the New Orleans City Council passed an ordinance today requiring all city contractors to disclose their subcontractors. Transparency proponents have long advocated for this kind of reform to the contracting system, saying that abuse or waste can hide in undisclosed relationships. As an example of what can happen without such […]
Posted inEnvironment, Government & Politics
Defend Plaquemines
Diane Sawyer’s person of the week wants to show the world just how hospitable Plaquemines Parish can be. At a town hall meeting this week Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser, who is to be anointed by Sawyer during a Friday night appearance on the ABC newscaster’s show, implored residents in attendance to be “hospitable.” “The […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
Theft from school may cost school its independence
The embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of dollars from an independent New Orleans public school could jeopardize its lone-wolf status. Acknowledging that it needs tighter financial controls, the nonprofit board that runs Langston Hughes Academy will vote in coming weeks on whether to hire a charter management organization, FirstLine Schools, to take over operations at […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Blame it on the porn
As we remain cautiously optimistic about the progress of the top kill operation to stop the Macondo oil gusher, I want to focus on porn. The Times-Picayune’s Mark Schleifstein reports that An investigation of Minerals Management Service employees in Lake Charles found a widespread culture of accepting gifts from oil companies, including hunting and fishing […]