Skip to content

Focused On

  • Lens Carnival Edition
  • ICE in Orleans
  • Justice
  • In the N.O.
  • Opinion

Main Navigation

The Lens
  • Subscribe
  • ❤ Donate
The Lens
  • Subscribe
  • ❤ Donate

Focused On

  • Lens Carnival Edition
  • ICE in Orleans
  • Justice
  • In the N.O.
  • Opinion

Topics

  • Criminal Justice
  • Environment
  • Government & Politics
  • Land Use
  • Schools

Sign Up for the Latest News

  • The Lens Newsletter
  • About The Lens
  • Our Staff

Follow The Lens

  • Bluesky
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

Listen to Behind The Lens Podcast

  • Spotify
  • Lens Carnival Edition
  • Criminal Justice
  • Schools
  • Opinion
  • In the N.O.
  • Environment
  • Podcast
  • About The Lens
  • Support Us

Category
News

Timely coverage of the people, policies, and events shaping New Orleans and Louisiana. This category delivers clear, factual reporting that keeps readers informed about local government, community issues, and stories that matter most to everyday residents.

New Orleans brings back the house call, sending nurses to visit newborns and moms

Louisiana is among the worst-performing states in maternal and infant health outcomes. Now the city health department offers home visits in those crucial first months.
by Rosemary Westwood, WWNO February 24, 2026 Updated February 24, 2026

Brown water and boil notices: Small towns struggle with failing water systems

Like New Orleans, many small cities and towns are grappling with aging infrastructure and frequent boil-water notices.
by Elise Plunk, Louisiana Illuminator, Lucas Dufalla, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Phillip Powell, Arkansas Times February 23, 2026 Updated February 23, 2026

Black residents win key ruling in ‘Cancer Alley’ environmental racism case

Lawyers for residents say that zoning that concentrates pollution in Black districts is a violation of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.
by Adam Mahoney, Capital B February 20, 2026 Updated February 24, 2026

Dolling, in communion with women who first brought sassy to the streets

Nothing is more fun than watching a group of hip-swinging, raddy-walking, second-lining women, says babydoll Denise Augustine, founder of the New Orleans Voodoo Babydolls, who plans to ‘lay down her umbrella’ and retire after this Carnival season.
by Denise Augustine February 17, 2026 Updated February 17, 2026

Carnival is a wary time of year for thousands on supervision in New Orleans

Curfews and court rules shape Carnival for thousands in New Orleans who are on probation or parole. Others find themselves self-isolating after the trauma of doing time.
by Bernard Smith February 16, 2026 Updated February 27, 2026

Banding Together: the heart and resilience of 9th Ward high-school bands

In two 9th Ward schools, Abramson and Douglass, students lean on discipline, music, and one another as they prepare for New Orleans Carnival — and for life beyond the parade route.
by Gus Bennett February 16, 2026 Updated March 12, 2026

‘ICE in our drinks, not in our streets’ this Carnival

To make clear that ICE is not welcome in New Orleans, a group of protesters walked the St. Charles route ahead of the Legion of Mars parade, which last year featured armed ICE officers.
by Delaney Nolan February 13, 2026 Updated February 14, 2026

Throw Me Somethin’ Mista

“Throw me my Motha Mista, alive well before age fifty and dancing whole,” writes poet MonaLisa Saloy. This poem kicks off this year’s Lens Carnival Edition, a collection of stories, photography, and poetry.
by MonaLisa Saloy February 12, 2026 Updated February 13, 2026

In departure from norm, Coast Guard demands immigration papers on Louisiana docks

In St. Bernard Parish, fishing deckhands fear death and detention amid regular immigration sweeps - not by ICE, but the Coast Guard. Critics say the Trump administration is undermining the Coast Guard’s other missions - and harming working-class boat captains while sparing industries with powerful lobbies.
by Delaney Nolan February 11, 2026 Updated February 12, 2026

Louisiana bets big on ‘blue ammonia.’ Communities along Cancer Alley brace for the cost.

Carbon capture hasn’t delivered major climate benefits — and the plants would still emit thousands of tons of pollution.
by Ames Alexander, Floodlight February 10, 2026 Updated February 11, 2026

Posts navigation

  • «
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • …
  • 167
  • »

About 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.

Our reporting has more urgency than ever.

Sign up to get the latest news on New Orleans and the Gulf South sent directly to your inbox.

 
 

Support The Lens

We depend on your support. A generous gift in any amount helps us continue to bring you this service.

Donate Now

Most Popular

Trump’s rush to expand offshore oil leases in the Gulf is bad for the environment. It’s also illegal.Trump’s rush to expand offshore oil leases in the Gulf is bad for the environment. It’s also illegal.March 12, 2026Rachel MathewsEnvironment
The girlhood to prison pipeline: how Louisiana policy fails Black girlsThe girlhood to prison pipeline: how Louisiana policy fails Black girlsMarch 11, 2026Andrea HaganCriminal Justice
Louisiana’s “Lightning Amendment” quietly shifts AI data-center costs onto your electric billLouisiana’s “Lightning Amendment” quietly shifts AI data-center costs onto your electric billFebruary 18, 2026Paul Arbaje, The EquationGovernment & Politics

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.
  • Bluesky
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • About The Lens
  • Our Staff
  • Employment
  • Contact us
  • Corrections
  • Support The Lens
  • Get The Lens Newsletter
INN Member LION Member
© 2024 The Lens. All Rights Reserved.

Our reporting has more urgency than ever.


For more than a decade, we have reported on issues as well as public policy meant to address the needs of residents. The Lens seeks to focus on the inherent inequality that has created a multi-tiered system. We, at The Lens seek to uncover, illuminate, inform and take part in a forward-looking community. Join us.

 
 

Continue to The Lens