Criminal Justice
I Was Shot in New Orleans, But I’m Not Angry at My Shooter | Next City – Lens contributor Deborah Cotton writes about being shot at a parade on Mother’s Day, and believes that New Orleanians can come together find solutions to systemic failures that result in drug economies and gun violence.
Crooked contractor seeks to undo agreement to pay millions | WWL-TV – A magistrate judge recently called contractor Aaron Bennett “arrogant” for violating the terms of his criminal bond. Now he wants out of a $9.2 million agreement he signed in May with a subcontractor.
[Aaron] Bennett, who was convicted of bribing former Plaquemines Parish Sheriff Jiff Hingle in 2011, is still awaiting sentencing as he prepares to testify about how he gave freebies to former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and introduced him to Frank Fradella, another businessman who has pleaded guilty to bribing Nagin.
Environment
BP, Anadarko tell appeals court they shouldn’t be fined for Deepwater Horizon oil spill | NOLA.com/The Times-Picayune – Unbelievably, billions of dollars in Clean Water Act fines for the coast might hinge on the word “or.”
Feds to collect info on ‘near misses’ offshore | Fuel Fix – A new confidential reporting system to track near-miss incidents could “fill a major gap in overseeing the safety of offshore oil and gas development,” according to the article. I heartily agree. Both environmental and occupational safety would benefit.
Mississippi nuclear waste proposal sparks early opposition | Associated Press – The Mississippi Energy Institute wants to convert the state’s “unique geologic salt domes” into nuclear waste storage. Republican U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, a Republican from Biloxi, opposes the idea.
“Whatever plans are brewing for a possible nuclear waste facility, I think now is the time to send a clear message: No nuclear waste in Mississippi. Not now, not ever,” Palazzo said in a statement. “Nuclear storage wouldn’t even be an issue had the Obama administration not shuttered plans to complete the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository in Nevada.”
Land Use
Go-cups dominate discussion, but parking issues around proposed Pizza Domenica split planning commission vote | Uptown Messenger – The go-cup debate continued in full force at yesterday’s City Planning Commission meeting, but Robert Morris reported that “commissioners who voted against Pizza Domenica on Tuesday said afterward that, surprising as it sounds, the go-cup issue was not even a factor in their decision.”
EPA Move to Monitor Roadway Air Pollution May Have Broad Planning Impacts | Planetizen –
With evidence on the harmful health impacts of vehicle emissions increasing, the EPA will begin monitoring pollution levels adjacent to freeways in Los Angeles and more than 100 of America’s biggest cities. Experts say the action is long overdue.
Government & Politics
Jindal’s ’64-Parish Tour’ seen as effort to raise sagging public approval numbers | The Lens – Gov. Bobby Jindal is traveling the state signing bills, announcing plant expansions and inaugurating infrastructure projects. He calls the travel business as usual. Pundits, however, see it as calculated to shore up his home base ahead of a likely 2016 presidential run.
Dardenne offers loan repayment plan | The New Orleans Advocate – The state loaned New Orleans $400 million after Katrina, to help the flooded city get back on its feet. Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s office said the loan should be forgiven, but Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne proposes repaying the loan into a fund dedicated to attracting big sporting events, such as the 2018 Super Bowl.
Schools
In a legal filing earlier this month, the federal government made a case that allowing families to choose their school through the voucher program may produce more racially homogenous schools if not properly supervised by a federal judge.
The Justice Department cites two cases in particular, one in which a number of black students used vouchers to leave a majority white school, and another in which a group of white students used vouchers to leave a majority black school. Each of those schools already had a racial balance that was out of whack with the rest of their district.