While I do enjoy plumbing “gray area” hypotheticals and connecting different issues to one another, I’m afraid those predilections obscured a central point I wanted to make in my previous column on new laws about reporting child abuse. As noted, the new laws expand the definition of “mandatory reporters,” folks who work with kids and […]
Category: Opinion
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Those who suspect child abuse carry major new legal responsibilities
After the Penn State child sexual abuse scandal became national news, state Rep. Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, sponsored legislation requiring coaches to report suspected child abuse. State Sen. J.P. Morrell, D-New Orleans, also filed a bill, one that extended whistleblower protections to employees who report abuse of a minor by a co-worker or supervisor. The bills […]
Posted inOpinion
Dead end at West End? What's the delay in rebuilding this jewel?
While the Livaudais Plantation was being parceled out in the 1830s to form the city’s fabled Garden District, New Orleans’ West End was already coming into its own as a lakeside resort and center of maritime commerce. Today, seven years after Hurricane Katrina, it stands as flashing beacon of stalled post-storm recovery. Never has the […]
Posted inOpinion, Schools
Do any schools hide in the shadows of state accountability rules?
A former state education functionary says there may be “shadow schools” at both ends of the academic spectrum. A couple months ago I linked to a post at the Crazy Crawfish blog to buttress my case against corporal punishment. Later on, I read Crazy Crawfish’s other posts. Most of them tackle education issues, with an […]
Posted inOpinion
Potholes, oh my potholes: An ode to crumbling city streets
I’ve been to Peru and old Pompeii, Along the Inca Trail and the Appian Way, Up slippery slopes and down treacherous ravines, But I’ve never seen streets like in New Orleans! Apart from the levees, the city is flat; Ain’t no topography to know where yat. Yet the people down here all drive SUV’s To […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Where’s the outrage over the city’s lead-poisoning problem?
The arrows point to blood cells damaged by lead poisoning. After witnessing the collective outrage over a belated water advisory, I’ve changed my mind. I no longer believe lead-poisoned children should bleed from their eyeballs. Let me explain. On Monday the Sewerage and Water Board announced that a brief power outage had caused water pressure […]
Posted inOpinion
Good intentions aren't enough; challenged kids need real services
There have been many failed efforts to help save New Orleans children from crime. Many dedicated people have initiated and funded programs to help solve the problems associated with children who drop out of school, or whose education level leaves them unable to find a job. For too many, the alternative is crime. Unfortunately, there […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
What better place for the already penitent Broussard: a penitentiary
In 2006—before the parish president’s great fall—a Carnival float depicted Broussard as Humpty Dumpty. Photo: Photo: Infrogmation (Creative Commons) “I only pray in public,” said my friend Clint, with a sly wink, before we grilled pork steaks and watched the Saints fall to the Packers. The quip tickled me. It also brought to mind a recent […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Skies will soon buzz with drones—but cops may not like it
They say character is what you do when no one else is watching. But these days I’m wondering: What if someone’s always watching? What happens to character then? And that leads to larger questions, such as how do you even form an authentic “self” in a surveillance society? Coming soon, to airspace above you! When Plato […]
Posted inOpinion
So much for Satchmo: How about another downtown parking lot?
I passed the 100 block of South Rampart Street last night, much as I often do. Each time I drive that route I find myself thinking, “No parking lot, yet.” A nine-story parking garage was supposed to be constructed on that corner. In order to make room for the structure four buildings needed to be […]