As Louisiana experiences week eight of the Deepwater Horizon oil catastrophe, globs of crude continue to wash into Grand Isle. Instead of fishers and sunbathers, workers hired by the oil giant raked contaminated sand occupy the shore, raking the toxic sand and removing it in plastic bags. Wetlands scientist Michael Massimi of The Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary […]
Author Archives: Ariella Cohen
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 inSchools
School embezzler senteneced to five years in federal pen
The former business manager of a New Orleans charter school was sentenced today to five years in jail for embezzling $660,000 from the school, according to U.S. Attorney Jim Letten’s office. In February, former business manager Kelly Thompson pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to making more than 150 cash withdrawals from Langston Hughes Academy […]
Posted inEnvironment
Gulf oil spill: Too big to stop- or even watch on a live feed
Hundreds of thousands of people from across the world are logging on to see live video of oil gushing from a broken pipe that is responsible for the gargantuan petrochemical spill in the Gulf of Mexico and increasingly, the coastal wetlands that protect New Orleans. The live video feed, transmitted from 5,000 feet below the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Serpas says daughter's beau won't get special treatement
This image from Mandy Serpas’ Facebook page shows her with a man who appears to be NOPD officer Travis Ward. Personal relationships – including his adult daughter’s cop boyfriend – will not influence Ronal Serpas’ implementation of police reform, the New Orleans Police Department Superintendent said Tuesday night after a public meeting with Department of […]
Posted inEnvironment, Land Use
Methodist deadline extended
The owner of the site of the former Methodist Hospital complex in eastern New Orleans has granted Mayor Mitch Landrieu a two-month extension on a $40 million deal to purchase the property, Methodist Health System Foundation CEO Fred Young Jr., said Monday. “The mayor asked for 60 days so he could look over the deal,” […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
Charter school conversion leaves some parents anxious, some hopeful
An infant rattled his mother’s car keys in blissful ignorance as she wondered aloud where his brothers would go to school in the fall. Two students in matching school uniforms whispered and appeared confused by the worked-up parents standing around them. And a toddler covered her ears with her hands as a stranger yelled. The […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Police brutality activists protest mayor's selection for chief
Despite what her shirt says, one participant needs to take a rest during the Thursday morning protest against new police Superintendent Ronal Serpas. Police-brutality activists rallied on the steps of City Hall today calling for the removal of New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Ronal Serpas. “We want a completely new landscape free of people who […]
Posted inLand Use
Rosy view of blight meets Central City's bleak reality
Hoffman Triangle Reginika Tasso snorted at news that the number of vacant houses in New Orleans dropped over the past year by nearly 9,000 to a new post-Katrina low of 50,100. “Really…” the Central City-raised Harvey resident intoned. Did they count the house where I used to stay, asked Tasso, giving an incredulous eye to […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Activists plan Thursday protest against NOPD chief Serpas
Serpas New Orleans celebrated the inauguration of Mayor Mitch Landrieu with a jubilant second line last Monday. Smiling wide and swaying from the hips, the new mayor danced through downtown New Orleans. Rebirth Brass Band played. Men in suits and ladies in hats clapped as they trotted along the smooth – for New Orleans – […]