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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.

Oily gunk from Roseland explosion flows towards Lake Pontchartrain

A mix of chemicals released by the explosion are being carried by the Tangipahoa River and could enter the local food chain, experts fear.
by Delaney Nolan September 2, 2025 Updated September 8, 2025

‘Even in decay, life continues.’

Inspired by the floodwaters after Katrina and the birth of his son, photographer Gus Bennett created a new photography series, Organic Watermarks. Some images include 18 different layers of post-storm textures.
by Gus Bennett August 29, 2025 Updated September 8, 2025

Reforms resulted from the thousands left to drown in OPP 

The 2005 abandonment of incarcerated people within the flooded Orleans Parish jail complex became one of the catalysts to reform the city’s dysfunctional justice system 
by Bernard Smith August 29, 2025 Updated January 18, 2026

Finding hard-fought stability after the storm

“There’s something full circle about our Katrina baby protecting swimmers in the Lower 9th Ward from deep water,” Lens editor Katy Reckdahl writes in an essay about the city and her son, who was born 23 hours before Katrina struck the city.
by Katy Reckdahl August 29, 2025 Updated September 8, 2025
Cubist-style illustration of Jon Batiste playing piano, surrounded by New Orleans jazz motifs and climate imagery including a blazing sun, musical notes, and factory smoke.

‘It’s a warning, set to a dance beat’: Jon Batiste on his new song urging climate action at Katrina20

The global music star, whose hometown of New Orleans was devastated in 2005 by the hurricane and subsequent levee engineering failures, says ‘people power’ can change the world.
by Mark Hertsgaard, The Guardian August 28, 2025 Updated September 5, 2025

A ‘college for all’ push thrived in New Orleans after Katrina. It wasn’t for everyone

KIPP New Orleans pushed 'college for all' in its early years. Schools are now adding career and personal counseling, and offering technical education courses.
by Sarah Carr August 28, 2025 Updated September 5, 2025
A collapsed wooden house, known as the “Noah’s Ark House,” with its roof torn away and walls buckling, stands abandoned in overgrown grass under a clear blue sky.

FEMA failures in Katrina aftermath serve as stark warning for today’s FEMA cuts

As the Trump administration hobbles FEMA, experts warn the agency is backsliding towards the same failures seen after New Orleans’ levees failed.
by Delaney Nolan August 27, 2025 Updated September 5, 2025

Hoping to distract displaced Katrina children with cameras, she ended up launching a nonprofit

On Friday evening, The Contemporary Arts Center will kick off an exhibit for Danette Vincent’s Katrina Camera Kids, who picked up cameras for the first time after the storm and ended up capturing important moments in their lives.
by Kelly Dorsey Parker August 27, 2025 Updated October 28, 2025

The long arc of John McDonogh Senior High School

The ups and downs within the John McDonogh High School building illustrate the persistent inequities of New Orleans public schools
by Marta Jewson August 26, 2025 Updated December 29, 2025
Shakur Trammel second lines across the St. Claude lift bridge during the Big 9 Second Line in New Orleans in 2024. Trammel, wearing a light gray suit, matching hat, and tie, leads the way with spirited dance steps as a diverse group of participants follow, capturing the tradition and vibrancy of one of the city’s cultural celebrations. The event took place on the historic bridge under a bright sky, showcasing both the movement of the parade and the surrounding community energy.

Threatening the bridge that defines the Lower 9

Revived after 25 years, the Army Corps’ project would expand the Industrial Canal lock and destroy the historic St. Claude lift bridge, in a construction project that will last 14 years.
by Tess Riley August 26, 2025 Updated October 28, 2025

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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.

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