Inside the Newsroom
Nonprofit News Outlets Growing Less Dependent on Foundation Funding, Study Finds | Philanthropy News Digest – The Lens participated in a detailed study of 18 nonprofit news organizations’ path to sustainability.
The nonprofit news sector is becoming less reliant on foundation funding, thanks in part to increased interest from individual donors, a report from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation finds.
Based on open data from 18 news outlets, the report, Finding a Foothold: How Nonprofit News Ventures Seek Sustainability (53 pages, HTML or PDF), analyzed the ways in which nonprofit news organizations raise and spend money, with a focus on audience engagement, revenue generation, and organizational capacity. A follow-up to the Knight Foundation’s 2011 study Getting Local: How Nonprofit News Ventures Seek Sustainability, the report found that most of the 18 organizations have grown their revenue, some significantly; that many are developing a diverse set of revenue streams, including individual donors, sponsorships, events, and syndication; and that new models for audience engagement and content distribution are emerging.
Environment
“Operation 111″ Aims to Ensure Gulf Restoration Money Will Actually Help the Gulf | Field & Stream – The Lens’ Bob Marshall breaks down how pots of money from the RESTORE Act will be divvied and a new organization’s attempt to ensure that wise decisions are made to restore ecosystems, as well as the communities that rely on them.
In an opinion piece titled “Getting Gulf restoration right: Economics and environment can’t be separated,” Scott Burns, who directs the Environment Focus Area at the Walton Family Foundation, says that “Operation 1-1-1 will help amplify the voices of Gulf residents, including fishermen, restaurant owners and community leaders, so they can make sure their states’ policymakers get restoration right.” A summary of Operation 1-1-1 projects is here.
Against The Tide | Fast Company – The Netherlands doesn’t have a foolproof, duplicable flood control system that it can export to other flood-prone coasts— yet. (Via Environmental Health News)
Schools
Toxic heavy metals found on the construction site of a planned $55 million replacement for the former Booker T. Washington High School in New Orleans will require the removal of 3 feet of soil in areas that won’t be covered by the new building’s concrete foundation or parking lots, according to a report submitted on behalf of the Recovery School District to the state Department of Environmental Quality.
The contaminants — including antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury and zinc — were found in levels greater than state and federal safety standards allow.
Dryades YMCA opens long-awaited swimming pool | The New Orleans Advocate – “After more than a decade of planning, fundraising and construction — a period that included a fire, a major hurricane, and financial and construction setbacks — the Dryades YMCA finally opened the doors on a swimming complex and wellness center that will add health and prevention to the 108-year-old institution’s long-standing focus on education.”
New teachers more educated, of higher caliber | Hechinger Ed Blog – According to a new study, more and more “academically successful” people are deciding to become teachers.
Government & Politics
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu wants to fix Obamacare | The New Orleans Advocate – “Landrieu’s new bill is the ‘Keeping the Affordable Care Act Promise’ and will grandfather all existing insurance plans that do not meet the ‘Obamacare’ coverage standards. Those affected would be notified on how their plans fall short of the standards, but they can still keep those plans.”
Opinion: The most unequal place in America | CNN.com – Residents in Lake Providence, a small scenic town in Northeast Louisiana, are sharply divided by huge differences in income and opportunity. (Via Louisiana Budget Project.)
The War On The Poor, Louisiana Style | FIRST DRAFT – Local blogger Adrastos is ticked off by Republican Sen. David Vitter’s plan to pursue charges against food stamp recipients who took advantage of a computer glitch to buy extra groceries at a Walmart in north Louisiana.
Criminal Justice
NOPD misclassifies thefts in the French Quarter and Marigny, OIG finds | NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune – “Almost 200 thefts in the French Quarter and Marigny were incorrectly classified by New Orleans police officers as incidents of “lost or stolen” property through the first half of 2013, according to a report released Wednesday by the city’s inspector general.”
Managing prison health care spending | The Pew Charitable Trusts – According to this new Pew study, Louisiana’s per-inmate spending increased by only 11% between 2001 to 2008. The national median growth among states increased 32 percent over those 7 years.
Land Use
Treme house demolished illegally by non-profit that scored federal dollars to renovate it | The Lens – “The saga of a house moved from the hospitals construction site and plunked down in Treme took a new turn last week when the non-profit renovating the house decided the best way to restore it was to demolish it.”
A clear need for mental-health facilities presents an obvious use for Charity | The Lens – This piece by Lynda Woolard, president of the Woolard Family Foundation, is the second in a continuing series of reader commentaries that suggest options for repurposing the downtown landmark.
Stacy Head suggests children take over if city can’t improve performance on replacing missing street signs | NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune – “Head’s suggestion was meant to illustrate how poorly the city has handled the issue of missing street signs, and she produced her own statistics to back her claims. “