"Thanks to the Knight Foundation for this 'knot-hole' [The Vault] through which we, the unwashed, can peer to see just how our tax dollars are being spent by City Hall. Please keep up the good work."
—Eugene B. Kordahl
The Lens (https://thelensnola.org/author/charles-maldonado/)
Charles Maldonado
Charles Maldonado covers the city of New Orleans and other local government bodies. He previously worked for Gambit, New Orleans’ alternative newsweekly, where he covered city hall, criminal justice and public health. Before moving to New Orleans, he covered state and local government for weekly papers in Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn.
For the second time, The Lens has joined ProPublica's Electionland, a coalition of newsrooms around the country that are covering problems that prevent eligible voters from casting their ballots during the 2018 elections.
Shawanda Holmes took her two-year-old son Louis to the doctor in 2015 for what she assumed would be a routine check-up. He was about to start school at a Head Start center, which required its students to get a blood lead test.
Once again, The Lens is partnering with ProPublica's Electionland coalition to report on long lines, registration problems and other issues that prevent eligible voters from casting a ballot. We need your help.
Economists cast doubt on the work of UNO's Hospitality Research Center. For the first time, OPSB denies industrial tax exemption. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal rules for The Lens in public records suit.
An astroturfing company finds itself between feuding billionaires. And we finally learn what mayor LaToya Cantrell knew about the city's 911 director before she abruptly called for his firing last month.
Emails, memos accuse the former 911 executive director of racism, sexism and general mismanagement. The complaints go back to the Landrieu administration.
Mayor Cantrell appears to have broken state law with private Sewerage and Water Board conference calls. Group proposes strict new rules for short-term rentals.
This week featured a look at New Orleans charter schools that have developed reputations for accommodating kids with special needs. It was produced in partnership with The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education.
