Rafael Delgadillo. Courtesy of Facebook. I can understand prayers of thanksgiving. Clearly we should be grateful for all our blessings. They’re “heaped up and overflowing,” as my dad would say. I can also understand prayers of confession. We should acknowledge our sins — serious, or otherwise — and commit to living better lives. Prayers of […]
Category: Government & Politics
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Recipient of controversial nonprofit loan working for Inspector General's Office
By Ariella Cohen, The Lens staff writer | A business that came under public scrutiny for taking loans from a taxpayer-subsidized nonprofit controlled by its president’s brother has moved on to work for the Office of the Inspector General. In July, that office signed a $75,000 technical-support contract with Ultimate Technical Solutions Inc. Though based in Harvey, […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Will strange bedfellows come back to haunt Billy Nungesser?
Nungesser works the room at the recent Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans. Photo by Gage Skidmore Outspoken Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser is picking up endorsements from prominent Republicans as he runs for Lieutenant Governor against incumbent Jay Dardenne, who is himself a Republican. The first nod was from U.S. Sen. David Vitter, who […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Cab companies spending millions on gray market for sought-after certificates
An underground market in city-issued cab permits has seen more than $8 million change hands since 2009 with barely any revenue going to the city.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Booze Board defers action on 'obscene' 7th Ward saloon; slaps fine on bar near Tulane
By Karen Gadbois, The Lens staff writer | Most of the agenda for today’s lengthy Alcohol Beverage Control Board meeting was postponed or settled beforehand. But one high profile 7th Ward bar, having reached an agreement with the city before the meeting, stuck around to hear the decision entered into the record. The Duck Off […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
The Macedonian candidate … and other tales of guile and folly
1. It’s unfortunate my recent Superman column puzzled so many readers, because I don’t know how to make my warnings any clearer or more dire. Perhaps reading this recent news story might help others comprehend the problem. Apparently, former New Orleanian Bo McCalebb is playing basketball for the national team of … Macedonia. That’s right, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Prison Reform Coalition to hold forum on Orleans Parish Prison; tune in to webcast
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | The Lens will host a live web stream Tuesday evening of a community forum hosted by a coalition that wants to encourage the U.S. Department of Justice to take legal action against Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman over jail conditions. The meeting, being organized by the Orleans […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Land Use
Legislator's Algiers apartment deal receives state-approved bond money
Two years after House Speaker Jim Tucker (R-Algiers) pushed for a moratorium on state subsidies for affordable housing, a board he sits on has awarded $10 million in state-backed approved bond money so a nonprofit can buy an apartment complex Tucker owns.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Giant billboard targets jail per diems; DOJ to attend public meeting on Tuesday
Reform coalition members Dana Kaplan and Norris Henderson in the shadow of the new billboard, which reads: “Stop jailing people to make money.” Photo by Matt Davis. By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | The Department Of Justice has accepted an invitation to a community forum next week hosted by a reform coalition, which […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Law enforcement commission fails to honor 24-hour public notice law ahead of meeting
By Matt Davis, The Lens staff writer | A state body that approves millions of dollars in criminal justice grants to local agencies, including those in Orleans Parish, failed to post its agenda 24 hours in advance of Thursday’s meeting, a violation of the state open-meetings law. Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s criminal justice czar James Carter […]