On the first day of New Orleans’ first white mayor in 32 years, City Hall felt remarkably free of the racial tension that for the past five years has become as much of a fixture in the building as the faux tiles on the walls spelling out the city’s street names. Far from the race […]
Posted inEnvironment
BP still handing out contracts struck down by federal court
Despite a Sunday federal-court decision to the contrary, BP representatives today were telling would-be cleanup mariners that they had to absolve the oil giant of any liability if they wanted to get the lucrative work. The contracts handed out at the John A. Alario Center on the West Bank of Jefferson Parish included language that […]
Posted inEnvironment
National discussion on spill needs to focus on coast
Something bothers me about the national discussion about the Gulf Coast oil disaster. It’s not that people are discussing the political implications of the event or even referring to political “opportunities” that may arise from the crisis. What kills me is that the “opportunity” being discussed involves a possible change in how the country will […]
Posted inEnvironment
Waiting is the easy part
The geyser of oil resulting from the Deepwater Horizon offshore platform explosion continues to dump hundreds of thousands of gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico each day. Oil giant BP, which leased the platform and is responsible for stopping the leak and cleaning up the spill, has been unable to activate the blowout […]
Posted inEnvironment
Federal judge says BP can't force local workers to sign waivers of liability
On Sunday, U.S. District Court Judge Ginger Berrigan prevented oil giant BP from having ad hoc local workers sign agreements releasing the company from any liability in the cleanup efforts. Shrimpers, oyster harvesters and others who work on the water, concerned about protecting their livelihoods, have asked BP to hire them as daily contractors to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Ronald Davis or Ronal Serpas
Today, Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu announced that he had whittled down his choices for next NOPD superintendent to two but did not name them. A source with knowledge of the interview process has told The Lens that the two are current Nashville chief and former NOPD Deputy Ronal Serpas and current East Palo Alto top cop […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Land Use
Committee advances bill to increase budget oversight of state housing largesse
A bill to increase legislative oversight of the Louisiana Housing Finance Agency cleared a committee this week, coming out stronger than when it went in. House Bill 1414, filed by Speaker Jim Tucker, D-Algiers, intially required that a legislative committee simply review the agency’s annual budget. The bill now requires approval of the Joint Legislative […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Confronting the big issues in Baton Rouge (eye roll)
LaBruzzo’s true intentions revealed State Rep. John LaBruzzo’s proposal to randomly drug test welfare recipients passed the House Wednesday evening by a 61-27 margin. It now faces scrutiny in the Senate. LaBruzzo, R-Metairie, stripped his proposal to “prioritize” the testing of pregnant women, which, though problematic for its own reasons, at least allowed LaBruzzo the […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
New AIDS agency propped up with federal allocations
The New Orleans Regional AIDS Planning Council this week approved 2010 funding amounts for various service categories under the federal Ryan White AIDS program, but the mayor’s Office of Health Policy had already determined who would and wouldn’t be providing certain services. N’R Peace Inc., an HIV/AIDS agency located in Algiers, was picked to continue […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Finally cooking with gas: NOPD Superintendent candidates and an emerging fiscal crisis
Mitch Landrieu officially will be mayor of New Orleans next week. So this week, we’re finally beginning to get an idea of what his actual transition will be like – the one in which he actually takes over the job of leading the city. First, the cops: While the NOPD clearly has been at the […]