Government & Politics
LaPolitics Publisher John Maginnis Dies at 66 – Legendary political journalist John Maginnis passed suddenly on Sunday morning. Colleague Jeremy Alford does the honors.
Governor deflects questions over travel | The New Orleans Advocate – The Advocate’s political round-up from Monday includes an item on the governor’s extensive travel schedule. The article quotes from Lens reporter Tyler Bridges’ recent discussion of the impact of Jindal’s absenteeism.
Report: St. Bernard water system underfinanced |The New Orleans Advocate – As the St. Bernard Parish Council considers a proposed 35 percent water rate hike, a consulting firm finds that its water revenue is about 30 percent too low. Its sewer revenue falls 80 percent below expenses.
Environment
Coastal erosion lawsuit is about protecting people and property in Louisiana | NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune – G. Paul Kemp, a commissioner for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, urges legislators not to kill the suit against the oil and gas industry, citing a lack of funds for storm protection. He says the authority is working on a plan to protect the metropolitan area during major storms, but it will cost significant money.
NOAA forecast for 2014: 3 to 6 hurricanes, 1 or 2 Category 3 or greater | The New Orleans Advocate – Hurricane season begins on June 1, and forecasters are predicting a near-average season this year.
Land Use
New Orleans’ Dazzling Post-Katrina Parks Boom | Next City – New Orleans has built or renovated its parks and recreation infrastructure “at the speed of Robert Moses, spending $134 million on such projects since 2010,” Katy Reckdahl reports. But now that it’s built, can the city afford to maintain all this new green space?
The Bright Side Of An Economic Disaster: Jeanne Nathan Reflects On The 1984 World’s Fair | WWNO – The 1984 World’s Fair’s PR director reflects on a difficult job.
The fair not only had to compete with the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, but it was challenged by an oil crash, political conflict, and bad publicity. It remains the only World’s Fair to declare bankruptcy during its run.
Schools
State releases elementary and middle-school standardized test scores | The Lens –
The state released the results of LEAP and iLEAP tests, which gauge academic performance for third- through eighth-graders. Statewide, about 27 percent of students performed at the “mastery” level or higher in English, compared to 26 percent in last year. In math, 25 percent of students scored at this level in math, up 2 percentage points from last year.
N.O. project could serve as model for special ed revamp | The New Orleans Advocate – Legislators consider a special-education funding plan based on a model developed for the New Orleans Recovery School District, where instead of a a flat per-student funding rate, money is allocated based on type of disability.
MEAP move to Michigan Treasury is ‘timeout for bad behavior,’ could affect federal funds | MLive.com – Lawmakers in Michigan are trying to give control of the state’s standardized testing program to the State Treasury because the Education Department is taking to long to implement national Common Core standards.
Criminal Justice
Violent weekend strains criminal justice system | FOX 8 News – A report on how bursts of violence, such as the one New Orleans saw over Memorial Day weekend, can strain the city’s hospitals, police, jail and courts.
Can Cop-Worn Cameras Restore Faith In New Orleans Police? | NPR – The New Orleans Police Department’s federal consent decree required in-camera vehicles to document police work. NOPD has taken it a step further and adopted body-worn cameras for officers. The consent decree requires the department to keep videos for at least two years, and state law generally requires that public records be retained for three years. But it seems that even the city’s own Independent Police Monitor is having trouble accessing those public records.