Category: Investigations
Orleans sheriff continues questionable supplemental pay for some employees
The $6,000 annual bump is supposed to go for employees working in law-enforcement jobs.
Mayor disregards diversity in Ethics Board appointments; members fail in disclosures
Despite a city law demanding that the mayor consider demographics to ensure that boards and commissions reflect the city’s population, Mitch Landrieu appears to have passed over female and Hispanic nominees to the city’s Ethics Review Board. Separately, some Ethics Board members haven't disclosed possible conflicts of interest.
City’s log of public-records requests and answers riddled with errors, anomalies
Lack of reliable information makes it difficult to check compliance with law requiring transparency.
Missing Home: A look at what we demolished in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina
Thousands of houses and buildings were razed after the storm. We went back to some of those properties to see what's there now. What we found shows how some parts of the city have rebounded while others struggle, just as they did before the storm.
Losing Ground collaboration with ProPublica honored by Scripps Howard, Society for News Design
A judge said of the project: "That map does things we haven't seen before. It's an amazing project."
Disclosure about The Lens and Loyola University
Emails show political interference for years in Civil Service system
The former chairman of Civil Service Commission, whose job was protect rank-and-file workers from political interference, was unusually deferential to Landrieu administration's agenda for years. In some cases, he and an administration official appeared to circumvent the state Open Meetings Law to lobby fellow commissioners.
Louisiana’s moon shot: A look at the state’s historic gamble to save the coast
The state hopes to save its rapidly disappearing coast with a 50-year, $50 billion plan based on science that’s never been tested and money it doesn’t have. What could go wrong?
Politically connected company would benefit from state Amendment 3
After the Supreme Court in January struck down a New Orleans ordinance that allowed tax-collection contractors to charge a 10 percent fee on past-due bills, it called into question a similar statewide law — both written by collections contractor Archon Information Systems. The Louisiana Municipal Association is lobbying for the passage of an amendment Tuesday that would make the arrangement unambiguously legal. A subsidiary of the Municipal Association benefits financially from a deal with Archon, and the company is bankrolling the association's political-action committee and has sponsored the association's events.
