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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.

‘No Kings Day’ draws 6,500 into New Orleans streets

Protesters carried handmade signs, chanted slogans, voiced concerns about mounting threats to democracy and billionaire-first politics, and — because it’s New Orleans — they blew bubbles. 
by Gus Bennett June 14, 2025 Updated June 25, 2025

Will Ascension Parish become Ammonia Parish?

Three new proposed chemical plants could more than quadruple ammonia production in the Donaldsonville area, leaving Ascension residents to face more toxic air pollution and possible chemical disasters, according to a new report from Rural Roots and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade.
by Delaney Dryfoos June 13, 2025 Updated June 13, 2025

Air pollution messes up pregnant women’s metabolism, spurs preterm births

Tiny air pollutants appear to cause molecular changes in expectant mothers' blood that can impact fetal development and cause stress in the mother, which could be behind early labor and health problems for babies.
by Brian Bienkowski, The New Lede June 11, 2025 Updated June 11, 2025

Her hips uncover the truth about America’s music history

Dancer Chipo Kandake along with New Orleans drumming legend Herlin Riley present a show on Saturday that tells the story of what we call American music, which, she says, started with the Black community.
by Mizani Ball June 6, 2025 Updated June 11, 2025

K-3 reading improves as Louisiana continues early-literacy focus

Armed by scientific studies, reading experts urged a resurgence of phonics, which helps children learn to read by sounding-out words, in a way well-known to older generations. But the state's third graders are still struggling from their Zoom-heavy start to reading.
by Marta Jewson June 4, 2025 Updated June 4, 2025

Tracking the sediment carried by the muddy Mississippi

New research shows that typically, less than 10% of land-building alluvium reaches the Bird’s Foot Delta region, the southernmost reach of the river, where it meets the Gulf.
by Delaney Dryfoos May 27, 2025 Updated May 27, 2025

Judge’s order requires Farm Line ‘be treated with human decency’

For the second consecutive year, a federal judge tells the DOC to provide Farm Line workers with protections from the sweltering Louisiana heat.
by Bernard Smith May 25, 2025 Updated May 25, 2025

‘It’s just not fair’

Nearly 1,000 Louisiana prisoners, including a Jefferson Parish man convicted by an 11-1 jury verdict, hope for relief in a non-unanimous jury bill that could hit the Senate floor on Wednesday.
by Bernard Smith May 20, 2025 Updated May 22, 2025

KIPP and NOLA Public Schools argue over special education of a kindergartener

Parents said that their young child was too sick to go to school. But the school disagreed, and so the child received no services last year, then started this year with no services. It’s still unclear who’s to blame — and how to catch other students before they fall through the cracks.
by Marta Jewson May 15, 2025 Updated May 16, 2025

Through a new Mississippi River channel, Mother Nature shows the land-building power of sediment diversions

As the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion flounders amid politics, some scientists say that doubts about its effectiveness can be addressed by Neptune Pass, which branched off the Mississippi on its own and is creating the largest new delta in North America.
by Delaney Dryfoos May 13, 2025 Updated May 13, 2025

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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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