Schools
House speaker opens door to tuition changes | IND Media – This article ponders implications of an opinion piece in which state House Speaker Chuck Kleckley, R-Lake Charles, argued for easing restrictions on state college tuition increases. Kleckley supports what he calls “tuition freedom” or “tuition autonomy.” Blogger C.B. Forgotston sees it as an oncoming tuition hike, and makes this observation: “Since Jindal has been governor, every tuition hike has been met by a state fund reduction to the colleges by more than the revenues generated by the hike.”
Plessy principal’s departure initiated by school board, president says | The Lens – The board that governs Homer A. Plessy Community School held two special meetings to discuss Principal Sara Leikin’s performance and then decided on her successor. Leiken announced her resignation Monday.
Conspiracy Theory and Common Core | The Hayride – Educator Ryan Booth, who was the former political director of the state Republican Party, explains why understanding one’s political opponents is more effective than demonizing them. Then he turns the tables on those on the right who buy in to conspiracy theories related to the new Common Core standards.
Government & Politics
Political war chests hold plenty of perks | FOX 8 WVUE – FOX 8 News and NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune continue their “Louisiana Purchased” series on the role of money in state politics. Here, investigative TV reporter Lee Zurik documents how lawmakers have used campaign cash for tickets to football games and concerts, leased automobiles and meals. Here is the companion story from NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune.
City Council eyes once-a-week trash pickup as budget hearings continue | The Lens – Another insight from the same hearing: New Orleans spends only half as much per capita on recreation as comparable cities.
Twitter/BobbyJindal | @WhiteHouse FACT: – Gov. Bobby Jindal responds to White House twitter criticism of the Louisiana GOP’s opposition to the Obamacare Medicaid expansion:
.@WhiteHouse FACT: If Louisiana did Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, taxpayers would be on the hook for $1.7 billion over the next 10 years
— Gov. Bobby Jindal (@BobbyJindal) November 13, 2013
Criminal Justice
Chief public defender sounds off: Time to fix a ‘perverse’ system of justice | The Lens – Derwyn Bunton, the Chief Defender of Orleans Parish, opines that “it is time for stakeholders and decision makers at the state and local level to explore additional and alternative funding sources for public defense.
Woodfox: Daily Death Row strip searches left him feeling ‘helpless, hopeless’ | The Advocate
Woodfox seeks a court ruling that would end such [strip] searches as routine prison policy any time he is removed from his cell block for outdoor exercise, visits to the infirmary, visits from friends or family and discussions with his attorneys.
A Living Death: Life without Parole for Nonviolent Offenses | ACLU – The Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola is on the cover of the ACLU’s latest report on mandatory sentencing laws, which put thousands of nonviolent offenders away for the rest of their lives. Over 80 percent of those cases involve drugs, and and two-thirds of the nonviolent lifers are black.
Land Use
Judges could lose support of BioDistrict in their quest to build new courthouse | NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune – “Orleans Parish Civil District Court judges might need to wipe BioDistrict New Orleans off their list of potential helpmates in their dogged pursuit of a new courthouse.”
The camera next door: how neighbors watch neighbors in New Orleans | The Verge – I’m not a fan of ubiquitous surveillance, but it seems that many of my neighbors like it.
Civilian cameras aren’t as high-quality or consistent as public surveillance systems, but they can be an efficient alternative. By relying instead on footage from people like Vogel, the New Orleans police have effectively blanketed the city with security cameras they don’t have to pay to install, maintain, or monitor.
Saving Neighborhoods From the ‘Vacancy Vortex’ | The Atlantic Cities – Buffalo, NY, attempts to find alternatives to demolition of historic homes.
Environment
Virtual information hub to put a cork in future oil spills | The Daily Cougar – The University of Houston “is establishing a virtual research center in collaboration with two other Texas universities in order to prevent another oil spill like BP’s 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident.” Via @RestoreDelta
In the automated phone survey in Louisiana conducted on Oct. 30 and 31, respondents generally said they favored EPA’s proposed plans to limit carbon air pollution released by power plants. And, the majority of respondents indicated that they trust EPA scientists and experts to decide on carbon limits, rather than politicians in Congress.