Government & Politics
Live blog Tuesday: Mayor Mitch Landrieu presents 2014 city budget | The Lens – See The Lens’ live blog at the bottom of the story for play-by play coverage of the Landrieu administration’s 2014 budget presentation to the New Orleans City Council. General fund revenues are projected to surpass this year’s total by $8 million, but big bills loom.
The four stupidest ideas for ending the shutdown | Los Angeles Times – Columnist Michael Hiltzik calls Sen. David Vitter’s Obamacare-related shutdown amendment “majestically cynical” and says Vitter’s tactics are aimed at “soft-minded people.”
Land Use
A share in condo sales looms as point of contention in deal to redevelop World Trade Center | The Lens – Gatehouse has the option to turn apartments into condos after five years, which could raise $135 million for the developer. Will the city angle for a cut of condo sales?
Criminal Justice
Undocumented Immigrants In New Orleans Make Progress With Sheriff Gusman, Hope NOPD Will Follow Suit | WWNO – In August, Sheriff Marlin Gusman announced that he would not comply with requests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain people who are suspected of being in the country illegally. Since doing so, “Gusman has gone from defendant in a civil rights lawsuit to honored guest at a meeting of mostly undocumented immigrants.”
Louisiana Supreme Court to hear argument on whether law barring felons from guns is constitutional | NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune – The following quotation is from the TP Street version of this article, which I thought was better than the one online:
Louisiana Supreme Court justices are considering the residual and likely unintended effects of the constitutional amendment that voters overwhelmingly approved last year to make gun ownership a “fundamental” right. The question is whether the amended Constitution lets convicted felons possess firearms, an act that is forbidden by the state criminal code.
The Costs of Gun Wounds on Youth | The Crime Report – A new study finds that gun violence causes a disproportionate share of serious medical injuries in children and teens. The average cost of hospital treatment for young gunshot victims was $28,510 per patient.
Schools
Don’t punish the kids | Gambit – The problem with the Tulane Scholarship fund, according to opinion writer Clancy DuBos, is that politicians are involved in the decisionmaking. This creates controversy. Dubos advises reforming the process of the program while maintaining the financial benefits to Louisiana scholars.
The Common Core Memorandum of Understanding: What a Story | deutsch29 – Education blogger Mercedes Schneider takes a skeptical look at the history of the Common Core standards, as traced through Memorandum of Understanding documents between states and the federal government. Schneider believes the documents don’t show a collaborative, bottom-up process.
New Orleans marching bands and The Whole Gritty City | Gambit – Gambit writer Alex Woodward looks at a new documentary that follows three local marching bands between 2007 and 2010. Interestingly, during the filming the central thrust of the documentary shifted:
What initially was a film about the role and importance of marching bands in New Orleans unwittingly became Roots of Music’s origin story. Roots of Music’s first class began in June 2008. …
[Roots of Music founder Derrick] Tabb, who was named one of CNN’s “Heroes” in 2009, co-founded the free after-school program that provides band instruction, tutoring, transportation and meals to at-risk elementary and middle-school students. At its heart, the program is anti-crime and focuses on education.
UNO will close its day-care center Dec. 20 | NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune – According to University of New Orleans vice president Gregg Lassen, the day care loses about $200,000 annually.
While Lassen said he regretted having to make the decision to close the center, he said he had no choice, given the declining state support for higher education. “Four years ago, we were getting about $54 million from the state,” he said. “Now it’s about $32 million. We’re receiving significantly less funding, so we have to make some pretty tough decisions.”
Environment
New Orleans Wetland Bayou Bienvenue proposes Florida Avenue redevelopment | The Lens – Group’s founder described plans for a community garden, farmers’ market, amphitheater and nature pavilion. Funding for the multi-faceted vision remains to be seen.
Why Residents of Disaster-Prone Areas Don’t Move | The Atlantic Cities –
Besides their economic investments, people and organizations have all sorts of sunk costs in local communities. “Retreat”—and even more modest alternatives—arouses significant resistance.