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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.
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Behind The Lens episode 271: ‘Death warrant’

April 17, 2025 Updated April 17, 2025
Nick Chastil and Katy Reckdahl on working conditions at Angola's Farm Line, with an eye on summer heat, and execution in Louisiana, following the first state execution in more than a decade.
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Behind The Lens episode 270: ‘The wrong schools’

April 11, 2025 Updated April 11, 2025
Education reporter Marta Jewson on the state's request that the courts free them from a special education consent decree, the city council seeks to send $10m to schools and NOLA Public Schools has a new superintendent.
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Behind the Lens episode 269: ‘They are not forgotten’

March 28, 2025 Updated March 28, 2025
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Behind the Lens episode 266 Carnival Part II: ‘The best spot on Fat Tuesday’

March 27, 2025 Updated March 27, 2025
Mizani Ball on family and friends settling in to their traditional parade watching spots on the route. Katy Reckdahl on a Black Masking Indian continuing his father's tradition.
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Behind The Lens episode 268: ‘Cruel and unusual’

March 21, 2025 Updated March 21, 2025
Special guest Ned Randolph on Entergy's proposal to build a massive AI data center in an impoverished section of north Louisiana that Meta is eyeing. Nick Chrastil on the state's push to use nitrogen hypoxia for executions.
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Behind The Lens episode 267: ‘Young, Black, vibrant’

March 14, 2025 Updated March 14, 2025
Mizani Ball and Marta Jewson on how Mardi Gras Day parade route changes affected local businesses and marching bands. Delaney Dryfoos on Venture Global's expansion plans amid its spotty environmental compliance record.
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Behind the Lens episode 266 Carnival Part I: ‘Throw less, throw better’

March 2, 2025 Updated March 2, 2025
Nick Chrastil on how gun laws clash during Carnival, including on the parade route. Delaney Dryfoos on krewes' efforts to make parades greener. And Marta Jewson on high school marching bands — and their budgets.
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Behind The Lens episode 265: ‘That’s just a payday loan’

February 21, 2025 Updated February 21, 2025
Nick Chrastil on records that show plans for Gov. Jeff Landry's "transitional center" were well underway before the terrorist attack. Marta Jewson on the ongoing dispute over a supposed $90 million settlement between the City and School Board amid its financial crisis.
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Behind The Lens episode 264 Part II: ‘Our Katrina narrative’

February 17, 2025 Updated February 17, 2025
The Lens spent January talking to Lower 9th Ward residents to tell their stories, narratives a Super Bowl committee wanted to control.
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Behind The Lens episode 264 Part I: ‘Our Katrina narrative’

February 7, 2025 Updated February 7, 2025
The Lens spent January talking to Lower 9th Ward residents to tell their stories, narratives a Super Bowl committee wanted to control.

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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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