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This category showcases the lead coverage readers need to know, offering context, clarity, and insight into issues shaping New Orleans and beyond.

Trump’s vision for childhood vaccines could hurt working moms the most

"Intentionally or not, Trump is adding weight to this burden that women are already carrying as family health managers."
by Barbara Rodriguez, The 19th October 3, 2025 Updated October 3, 2025

Kennedy High grads who were denied diplomas can continue lawsuit, judges rule

Appellate judges certify class-action lawsuit lodged by students who endured Kennedy High School’s graduation scandal several years ago.
by Marta Jewson October 2, 2025 Updated October 8, 2025

FCC postpones long-awaited rules reducing ‘outrageous’ prison and jail phone rates, leaves families paying more

Expensive calls force families to choose between paying bills and staying connected to loved ones.
by Bernard Smith October 1, 2025 Updated October 1, 2025
Exterior of the NOLA Cannabis Co. dispensary on South Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans, with a red sign on the building behind a chain-link fence and large oak trees framing the sidewalk.

Smoke and mirrors in cannabis zoning

In New Orleans, marijuana dispensaries — like the one opening soon in our community — can be granted a permit without any neighborhood notice. And in Louisiana, unlike other neighboring states, dispensaries can open up next to a library, elementary school, church, or daycare.
by Betty DiMarco and Lane Trippe September 30, 2025 Updated October 28, 2025

EPA releases list of hazardous inventory at Smitty’s Supply

Plant held millions of gallons of motor oils, fluids and other petrochemicals.
by Wesley Muller, Louisiana Illuminator September 29, 2025 Updated October 28, 2025

As millions face climate relocation, the nation’s first attempt sparks warnings and regret

Three years after a federally funded move, Indigenous residents of Louisiana’s Isle de Jean Charles report broken homes — and promises.
by Terry L. Jones and Evan Simon | Floodlight September 26, 2025 Updated September 26, 2025

Keep the Guard in reserve. Build on what works.

If a limited deployment is ordered, there are ways to do this right, Arthur Hunter writes. Guard personnel could assume tasks to increase public safety by putting more officers on streets, and improve our infrastructure by attacking the places that invite crime.
by Arthur Hunter Jr. September 25, 2025 Updated September 25, 2025
A man in a gas mask stands next to a “Cancer Alley” sign with massive industrial data centers and smokestacks billowing black smoke behind him under an orange

Data centers spark fears of a ‘Digital Cancer Alley’ in Louisiana

A new report critical of the rapid data-center ramp-up across the South describes it as ‘Big Tech, following in the footsteps of Big Oil.'
by Gus Bennett September 25, 2025 Updated September 29, 2025
This editorial-style illustration emphasizes the absence of environmental issues in the 2025 New Orleans elections. At the center, a clipboard lists the campaign focus areas—economic development, government services, public safety, and affordable housing—under the hashtag #livingwithwater. Surrounding the clipboard are silhouettes of political candidates framed by Democratic and Republican symbols. Below, the illustration highlights the city’s existential threats: flooding, saltwater intrusion, sinking levees, and overwhelmed floodwalls, reminding viewers that water and environment remain critical yet often overlooked priorities.

Casting votes for sustainability

In this city surrounded by water, we need to know each candidate’s position to address New Orleans’ environmental vulnerabilities, says the writer, an urban designer and educator who has long focused on water issues in the city.
by Aron Chang September 23, 2025 Updated September 25, 2025

New Orleans’ lead-heavy lizards could help scientists better grasp toxicity, evolution

The little brown lizards in New Orleans are thriving with blood levels of lead that Tulane scientists say should be lethal, even in far bigger creatures.
by Elise Plunk, Louisiana Illuminator September 19, 2025 Updated September 19, 2025

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