Mob boss Carlos Marcello. Wikimedia It’s transition time at the local U.S. attorney’s office, now that Jim Letten, the nation’s longest-serving federal prosecutor, and his top three lieutenants have retired in the wake of a scandal involving anonymous online comments. No doubt candidates aspiring to replace Letten have quietly expressed interest to U.S. Sen. Mary […]
Tag: The Times-Picayune
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Letten lesson: Even the best officials need ‘terrible scrutiny’
Teddy Roosevelt aimed his elephant gun at elephants, not house flies. News stories have talked up the “irony” of U.S. Attorney Jim Letten’s resignation, which is effective today. We’ve been reminded that in 2001 businessman Fred Heebe was the top candidate to replace then-interim U.S. Attorney Letten. But allegations of domestic abuse derailed Heebe’s candidacy, […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Opinion
How much does a jail-happy society owe its exonerees?
Exoneree John Thompson, of New Orleans, was awarded millions in compensation for wrongful incarceration but has been unable to collect. How much would you need to be paid to spend 25 years in the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola? It’s just a thought experiment. I’m not putting any money on the table. And if I […]
Posted inOpinion
Busting Jon Johnson shows early promise of a new kind of news
Councilman Jon Johnson’s indictment and abrupt resignation last week caught political observers off guard, but the gist of his wrongdoing was disclosed by my former colleagues at The Lens more than a year ago. The Times-Picayune, which recently announced savage newsroom cuts as part of a transition away from daily print publication, only managed to […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Bill could end TP’s longtime hold on lucrative legal-notice ads
A bill passed by both houses of the Louisiana Legislature and now on its way to the governor’s desk could end The Times-Picayune’s decades-long monopoly on publishing the lucrative mandatory legal notices from public agencies. Clarification: The bill and this story refers only to state-required judicial notices issued by various agencies, a substantial subset of […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Opinion: Changes at TP were necessary, but are they the right ones?
Photo by Laura Beatty The decision by The Times-Picayune to cut publication to three days a week and go all-in on the web is a response – probably belated – to some pretty grave realities. Whether it’s a solution is another question. What the bean counters have to hope is that they’ve struck the right […]
Posted inInside the News Room
Open Society Foundations renew and increase funding for The Lens
We’re proud to announce a continuing and increased grant from one of our major donors, the Open Society Foundations. The Lens was founded in 2009 as the city’s first nonprofit newsroom with a grant from Open Society, and it has supported us at an average of $160,000 over the past three years. It is generously […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Why the hurry, Congressman? A legal payoff lay ahead
Lee Zurik’s Fox 8 report on allegedly fraudulent oil leases owned by Gov. Huey Long’s “Win or Lose” corporation, worth hundreds of millions in royalties over the years, and passed down to Long’s friends and descendants, is a fascinating investigation. Remember that Long, the Kingfish, rose to fame campaigning against Big Oil. But once in […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Earl updated: Don’t tweet or blog what you can wink or nod
Earl Long: close-lipped Eight years ago, I was up at odd hours of the night, helping my wife care for a newborn. After a bit of noodling on the internet I discovered and joined the wonderful (and wonderfully small) community of South Louisiana bloggers. We discussed politics and current events and mocked the stupid things […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Head to take at-large seat immediately — even though it costs her a shot at 2 full terms
Stacy Head By Karen Gadbois, The Lens staff writer | Defying political speculation, Stacy Head told The Lens Wednesday she plans to take office as one of the City Council’s two at-large members before May 7, meaning she would not be eligible for two full terms after this partial term is over. “I think it […]