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Criminal Justice

Jury acquits David Warren, ex-cop who shot Henry Glover after Katrina | NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune – Former New Orleans police officer David Warren was acquitted of federal civil rights and gun charges from the killing of Henry Glover in the days after Hurricane Katrina. The jury asked multiple questions during its deliberations and appeared to be at loggerheads.

Newly-appointed U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite, who was not part of the Warren prosecution, said his office was disappointed by the acquittal. This verdict will no doubt heighten the charged atmosphere surrounding the upcoming retrial of officers convicted in post-Katrina killings on the Danziger Bridge.

Schools

King charter won’t move to Orleans school board governance | The Lens – The board voted on whether to return Dr. King Charter School to the Orleans Parish School Board and discussed a potential lawsuit, but those items were not listed on the agenda released to the public.

How one school turned homework on its head with ‘flipped’ instruction | PBS NewsHour – A school located north of Detroit has become the nation’s first “flipped” schools, which means that “teachers record lectures for students to watch online outside of class, and what was once considered homework is now done during classtime, allowing students to work through assignments together and ask teachers for help if they run into questions.”

Land Use

Three years after St. Roch property sold to favored buyer, it lies fallow | The Lens – The owner of the gas station next door originally planned to tear down the building to build a convenience store.

Addressing New Orleans East’s core problem: Richard Campanella’s Cityscapes | NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune – The Tulane geographer claims eastern New Orleans needs an identifiable core for the neighborhood to thrive.

Streetcars and Recovery | Journal of Planning Education and Research – Several articles have mentioned this study, which links business activity after Katrina to proximity to the streetcar line. The paywall to the complete report has been removed for the next month. Here’s the bottom line:

To conclude, this study provides positive evidence that traditional streetcars can support the reinvigoration of neighborhood business districts, as well as the reintroduction of mixed land uses to traditional neighborhoods that lost neighborhood-scale commercial uses during the automobile era.

Government & Politics

Bagneris to run against Landrieu for mayor | Gambit – Political analyst Clancy DuBos says Civil District Court Judge Michael Bagneris’ entry into the mayoral race will add some excitement. Bagneris and Mayor Mitch Landrieu have “famously locked horns … over the location of a new Civil District Court building.” DuBos adds: “Ironically, Bagneris was recommended for a federal judgeship by the mayor’s sister, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, in 2009, but the White House rejected him in 2010 for reasons that were never articulated.”

Kennedy: Build New Orleans to Lafayette interstate | The New Orleans Advocate –  I fully agree with state Treasurer John Kennedy, who says the state should prioritize the long-delayed conversion of U.S. 90 to interstate highway standards. According to the article, Kennedy claimed that converting U.S. 90 in South Louisiana into I-49 South would create 100,000 permanent jobs and be an asset during hurricane evacuations.

WWL – AM870 | Landrieu For Mayor And Governor?

Political analyst and LAPolitics.com publisher John Maginnis says the 2015 Governor’s race will be “wide open.” He says Landrieu could run and continue to be Mayor if he happened to lose.

Environment

Sand from Ship Shoal used to build barrier project south of Port Fourchon | The Advocate – A deposit of “good sand is being mined for the first time to help build six miles of beach and dune along the Caminada Headland that fronts an area of Lafourche Parish just south of Port Fourchon.” State coastal honcho Garret Graves tweeted a photo of the restoration project.

Group: Insurers charge 300 to 600% more for coastal than inland policies | Insurance | The Sun Herald — Alabama state law requires that insurance premiums are distributed equitably throughout the state. However, a homeowners group contends that residents in coastal counties pay much more for insurance but, surprisingly, have a lower percentage of average losses on a per-premium basis.

Robots Could Help Farmers Rein In Fertilizer Pollution | NPR – A robot that farmers call the “Roomba of the cornfield” can determine fertilizer needs with pinpoint accuracy, thus eliminating nitrogen runoff that often makes its way to the Mississippi and the Gulf.

Mark Moseley

Mark Moseley blogs at Your Right Hand Thief. Until mid 2014, Mark Moseley was The Lens' opinion writer, engagement specialist and coordinator for the Charter Schools Reporting Corps. After Katrina and...