U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder offered a curiously nonresponsive answer to the question that was on many people’s mind Tuesday afternoon: Now that the New Orleans Police Department’s consent decree with the federal government has been finalized, is the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office next? Holder was joined by city officials, federal agents and police brass […]
Category: Government & Politics
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Councilwoman surprised by new jail talk; could house another 600
City Councilwoman Susan Guidry told The Lens recently that a major new jailhouse under discussion between the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Landrieu Administration was news – unwelcome news – to her. The “Phase III Concept” jail plan would add yet another FEMA-funded lockup to the Orleans Parish Prison campus, with between 600 and […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Land Use, Squandered Heritage
Bank-turned-burger joint: decidedly heavy on the dressing
Local bloggers are running an informal contest to see how long it takes before whatever subject that pops up turns into a conversation about food. My bet is that a lot of discussions just as quickly turn into conversations about zoning enforcement. Today’s topic – the old Whitney Bank building on Carrollton at the corner […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
Postponed: BESE's Orange Jones set for Ethics Board ruling
Update: 8:55 a.m. Friday. The executive secretary of the Ethics Board said Orange Jones’ attorney requested Thursday that the matter be delayed until the board’s August meeting. The Louisiana Board of Ethics is scheduled to meet Friday and hand down its edict on whether Board of Elementary and Secondary Education representative Kira Orange Jones should […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
State auditor's report reveals more details about misuse of recovery money
A little-noticed January report from the state Legislative Auditor’s Office provides more insight into disgraced City Councilman Jon Johnson’s illegal dealings, to which he pleaded guilty in federal court today. The report shows that a nonprofit run by Johnson wrote checks to Johnson’s sister and a number of people who couldn’t be found to explain […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Investigations, Land Use
Councilman connected to nine blighted buildings in the Lower 9th Ward neighborhood
Scenes of neglect are ubiquitous in the flood-scarred Lower 9th Ward, but nine buildings in particular have caught the attention of neighbors since the fall because of their connection to a City Councilman.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
School board agrees to put archived meetings online
Archived videos of Orleans Parish School Board meetings will be available on the board’s website, members decided at their Tuesday night meeting, but not without spirited debate. An amended disadvantaged-business policy was also approved, and the board agreed to the deletion of 21 positions from the payroll. In what’s become a customary alliance, board members […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Obama linked to civil rights heroes – in Alabama, not Louisiana
A detail from the Alabama tourism pamphlet links President Obama to heroes of the civil rights era. l While stretching my legs at one of the Alabama “Welcome Centers” along Interstate 10 last summer, I browsed through a formidable collection of pamphlets touting the state’s various tourist destinations. I’d never seen so many travel brochures […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
Legal problem haunts head of School Board's DBE program
The executive director of the Orleans Parish School Board’s disadvantaged business program pleaded guilty in 2000 to a count of misdemeanor theft, a lesser charge than the five felony counts of insurance fraud he was charged with initially. Armer Bright, 48, didn’t disclose his criminal record when he applied for the director position, school board […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Schools
School Board cuts 21 positions, citing federal funding shortfall
The Orleans Parish School Board is planning to cut 21 positions for the coming school year, officials announced Thursday. The cuts, which will include teachers, social workers, clerical assistants, and other positions, are largely due to nearly $2 million in federal funding reductions, namely from Title I and special-education reimbursements. Two teachers will lose their […]