Lead pipes, another New Orleans legacy
As the federal government announces a rule to eliminate all lead pipes within the next decade, tests by the Water Collaborative found lead within drinking water at 88% of New Orleans homes tested.
Recent Posts
Can Tulane shed its fossil fuel investments?
To convince Tulane University to divest from fossil fuels, students say, they must fight geography, history, and the school’s academic partnerships with industry.
Pregnant in Louisiana Now, After Roe Fell
She is now past her first trimester and doing well. But after two miscarriages, she is aware that a new Louisiana law blocks crucial care for her, if – ‘god forbid’ – something goes wrong.
The majority-Black districts that became Cancer Alley
Lifelong residents of St. James Parish will speak in federal court on Monday about how parish officials and ordinances have, for generations, explicitly directed industrial plants into predominantly Black neighborhoods.
Licensing a troubled juvenile jail
A year ago, when Jackson Parish opened its new, unlicensed juvenile jail, kids complained of extended stints of solitary confinement, along with extensive abuse and violations. A DCFS inspection supported those claims, but the agency gave the jail a license anyway.
Pregnant and hemorrhaging, without a key solution within reach
Lawmakers passed a law designed to limit reproductive rights in Louisiana. But it may also limit patients’ chances of surviving common life events like miscarriages and births.
Unlikely alliance forms to boost community air monitoring in Louisiana
A bulk storage facility plans to join with activists from the Louisiana Environmental Action Network to monitor air quality in St. Rose, a ‘Cancer Alley’ community.
opinion
Helping young people leap hurdles
A group of talented young African American men had little hope that the city could help them – until they learned the ways that the city could change.
Turning schools into ‘miniature fiefdoms’ where leaders feel free to make and break rules
It’s become an all-too-familiar lament in New Orleans that the charter school system lacks accountability and transparency.
The heartbreaking but necessary work of covering school closures
Elevating family voices in a decentralized system. Republished with permission from The Grade.
Protecting Louisiana Workers is a Hot Topic
As heat sets new records across the nation, the risks that people face on-the-job are on the rise, especially in summer months.
PODCAST
Behind the Lens episode 253: ‘Mace with no warning’
Nick Chrastil and Katy Reckdahl on the Jackson Parish Jail housing kids without the required license to do so.
About the Lens
The Lens aims to engage and empower the residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. We provide the information and analysis necessary to advocate for more accountable and just governance.