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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.

Grassroots air monitoring helps people track pollution in their own backyards. Those efforts are under threat in Louisiana.

As the state limits sharing of independent data, the Trump administration is delaying new testing requirements for dozens of chemical plants around the Mississippi River Basin.
by Illan Ireland, Mississippi Free Press January 23, 2026 Updated January 23, 2026

New Orleans historic landmarks on South Rampart back on the market. Again.

After spending seven years trying to create a cultural hub on a New Orleans block, a developer is offloading three of the block’s four landmark buildings that mark the beginnings of jazz.
by Jordan Hirsch January 22, 2026 Updated January 24, 2026

Blighted Bywater Navy base kicks off redevelopment with 300 affordable apartments

Poland Avenue base will be repurposed and rehabbed in three phases that will create a ‘mixed-use campus’ that includes affordable housing, retail, and a tech startup hub.
by Katy Reckdahl with photos by Gus Bennett January 22, 2026 Updated January 22, 2026

When the power goes out, churches offer shelter through the Community Lighthouse network

New Orleans churches and community centers are being outfitted with backup and solar power to create a microgrid for residents during the city’s frequent outages. But that’s not the only value they offer.
by Delaney Dryfoos January 21, 2026 Updated January 23, 2026

Footprint of solitary confinement in Louisiana expands because of ICE use of isolation

Recent declines had come because of human-rights activists like Kiana Calloway, who was kept in solitary on and off for nine years, to the point where his hearing and sight changed.
by Bernard Smith January 20, 2026 Updated January 20, 2026

Detroit heard King’s dream first. These Black women are carrying it forward.

Alpha Kappa Alpha's Lambda Pi Omega chapter folds Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights history into a day of service that stretches far beyond the federal holiday
by Ebony JJ Curry, The 19th January 19, 2026 Updated January 28, 2026
Police tape blocks the street outside Dooky Chase Restaurant in New Orleans at night, illuminated by colorful exterior lights following a shooting.

Four injured, one dead, after man enters Dooky Chase’s with gunman in pursuit

by Katy Reckdahl with photos by Gus Bennett January 17, 2026 Updated February 6, 2026

After losing a climate case in a Louisiana courtroom, Chevron wants a change of venue

Lawyers for the oil giant argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday that the matter belongs in federal court. But the heavily Republican state responded that a $744.6 million jury award in state court should stand.
by Lee Hedgepeth, Inside Climate News January 16, 2026 Updated January 18, 2026

Louisiana locked up misoprostol a year ago — and is now trying to restrict it nationally

A city Health Department report found that the state’s ban on maternal-health drugs has left patients living in fear and put overwhelming stress on doctors and nurses. Now patients and healthcare providers worry about what could come next.
by Marta Jewson January 14, 2026 Updated January 13, 2026

Records reveal federal criminal search warrant served at Smitty’s Supply

Agents with the FBI and the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division conducted a search of the facility in November.
by Wesley Muller, Louisiana Illuminator January 13, 2026 Updated February 1, 2026

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About The Lens

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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.
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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.

 
 

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