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Author: Carolyne Heldman

About Carolyne Heldman
Carolyne Heldman Rovira has been in media for 35 years, and is currently the podcast host and producer for Behind The Lens. Heldman served as executive director at Aspen Public Radio, an NPR affiliate, where she launched four weekly news, public affairs, and cultural affairs programs. She has been a guest lecturer at Tulane University, is a frequent guest and moderator for the Aspen Institute, Rocky Mountain Institute, and the American Enterprise Institute.

23 & 1: Solitary confinement in LA prisons is on the rise; also local churches provide shelter and power during outages using solar

February 13, 2026 Updated February 27, 2026
Bernard Smith on the dangers of solitary confinement and Delaney Dryfoos on resiliency hubs.

A town on the brink of extinction: Modeste is facing an acute concentration of industry as a proposed new development threatens to engulf it

February 6, 2026 Updated February 24, 2026
Delaney Nolan on the town of Modeste and a new giant industrial park planned for the area.

Emboldened: LA lawmakers ask FDA to restrict abortion meds nationally

January 16, 2026 Updated January 17, 2026
Marta Jewson on one year of Act 246, the Louisiana law that locked up life-saving maternal medication. Elise Plunk on a suspended LNG permit that was reissued in Cameron Parish.

Instability is the word of the year for one local school

January 9, 2026 Updated January 9, 2026
Delaney Nolan on exit bonuses for voluntary deportation promised by the Department of Homeland Security. Marta Jewson on the fate of The Leah Chase School.

An Oil Well in Reverse: Smitty’s hopes to inject liquid waste into a landfill in Jefferson Parish

November 21, 2025 Updated December 3, 2025
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality allows the operator of Smitty’s to dump pollutants from its recent explosion deep into a Jefferson Parish landfill. Plus, NOLA Public Schools improves, getting a B from the state.

Kicking the Can: SNAP during the shutdown and charter schools await their fate

November 14, 2025 Updated December 17, 2025
The shutdown is over, how did the state do in protecting its most vulnerable. And charters await their fate with state evaluations.

“A Fundamental Reset”

October 31, 2025 Updated December 17, 2025
Fossil fuel companies rebrand as "energy" producers. Also construction of a new LNG terminal is halted by a federal judge.

Boxing Up Choice: Louisiana AG sues the FDA to halt the shipment of abortion meds. And the Leah Chase School Principal Resigns.

October 17, 2025 Updated December 17, 2025
Greg LaRose on Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's lawsuit against the FDA challenging the distribution of abortion drugs by mail. Marta Jewson on the resignation of Leah Chase School's principal, just two months into the school year.
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Protected Speech or Anti-Semitism? A university syllabus draws scrutiny.

October 10, 2025 Updated October 27, 2025
Delaney Nolan on a Tulane program manager who was fired. Bernard Smith on "outrageous" phone call rates in jails after new FCC Chairman delays mandated reductions. Marta Jewson on the 2019 Kennedy grads, who've won another court battle, but the war continues.
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Energy Monsters: AI data centers prompt concern about a ‘Digital Cancer Alley.’ Also, the first U.S. climate refugees have regrets

October 3, 2025 Updated August 31, 2026
Gus Bennett on Big Tech data centers that threaten more environmental and economic harm in Cancer Alley. Terry Jones on climate refugees 10 years after relocation.

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About The Lens

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The Lens
The Lens fights to reveal and report on issues that impact the community and the region. Staunchly defending the public's right to know and deeply committed to sharing our knowledge with the community at large. We center human impact in all our work.
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Our reporting has more urgency than ever.


For more than a decade, we have reported on issues as well as public policy meant to address the needs of residents. The Lens seeks to focus on the inherent inequality that has created a multi-tiered system. We, at The Lens seek to uncover, illuminate, inform and take part in a forward-looking community. Join us.

 
 

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