Schools
Live blog: Audubon Charter School holds lottery Wednesday and Thursday | The Lens – Since Audubon Charter School has more applicants than seats, school officials will hold a public lottery for the 2014-15 school year.
Report on Legislature #2 | Louisiana Educator – Blogger Michael Deshotels lists the educations bills. A quick glance shows a substantial number having to do with privacy and information about students. Here is Deshotels’ first report on education legislation, including commentary on each bill.
Environment
Offshore Energy Industry Fights Complacency on Safety | Forbes – Energy columnist Loren Steffy recently returned from a conference in Scotland While a lot of attention has been focused on process safety in recent years, Steffy noted, one of the themes of the conference was that offshore companies tend to grow complacent the farther removed they are from an accident.
One fellow speaker noted that the drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico that followed the [Deepwater Horizon] accident should have been viewed as a “safety stand-down,” an industrywide exercise in pausing operations, assessing risks and adjusting operations accordingly. Instead, many companies operating in the Gulf chose to simply attack the Obama administration for enacting the moratorium in the first place.
La.’s pipeline controversy | The Louisiana Weekly – The potential closure of a natural-gas pipeline serving communities near Baton Rouge has alarmed residents who fear a sharp spike in prices.
Sinkhole showing signs of stabilizing, expert says | The Advocate – Less and less subsidence is good news, even though it has been 18 months since the sinkhole opened up in Bayou Corne. However, a sinkhole expert warns that removing methane unlocked by the sinkhole will take longer than anticipated.
Criminal Justice
State appeals judge’s order to reveal source of lethal injection drug | The Lens – Prison officials had until Monday to reveal the source of a lethal injection drug. Instead, they appealed the order.
Deciding if Inmates Get to Know How They’ll Be Executed | The New York Times – There are indications that the Supreme Court might take up one of the cases over execution methods.
Accused Mother’s Day shooting suspects included in federal gang indictment | WDSU – U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite says the indictment was the result of “unprecedented cooperation” among law enforcement agencies.
New Orleans police on Wednesday will unveil a new online database of private surveillance cameras. Businesses and residents will soon be able to register their security cameras with SafeCamNOLA so police officers can quickly find and contact owners of cameras near crime scenes and suspects. That footage will help investigations, police say.
Land Use
Massive biomedical complex taking shape quickly in Mid-City | FOX 8 WVUE – GNO Inc. president Michael Hecht calls the biomedical complex the “biggest single economic opportunity that we have in the region.” Then he notes a startling statistic: “In Houston, the Texas Medical Center is responsible for one out of every four people at a Houston hotel.”
A Big Legal Blow to the Rails-to-Trails Movement | The Atlantic Cities – A decisive Supreme Court decision on land rights might apply to “rails to trails” projects like the Lafitte Greenway.
Government & Politics
Weed the people | Gambit – The cover story begins with an irresistible lead: “One important assumption marks the strategy of Louisianans for Responsible Reform (LRR), a new bipartisan organization that advocates for lessening jail time for marijuana users: Most lawmakers don’t find themselves in the presence of many joints, spliffs, bongs or brownies.”
Gambit’s pun-filled but informative issue devoted to marijuana-related issues explores the push for legalization and sentencing reform. It includes a list of Ten marijuana bills worth watching. Also, former New Orleans resident Kari Harden describes her experience purchasing pot in Colorado. I’d point out that not long ago, a “weed issue” might have been seen as a gimmick. The political landscape is changing — quickly.
Drug Settlement Money Coming to End | LaPolitics – Fewer inflows to the state from pharmaceutical settlements will complicate the budget picture.