Investigations
AT&T, Verizon internet service slower – but not cheaper – in New Orleans’ poor, Black neighborhoods
A couple of years into the pandemic, Shirley Neville had finally had enough of her crappy internet service. “It was just a headache,” said Neville, who lives in a middle-class neighborhood in New Orleans whose residents are almost all Black or Latino. “When I was getting ready to use my tablet for a meeting, it […]
Sinking homes, damaged roads: How a New Orleans community struggles against subsidence
This story was reported through a partnership that includes the Louisiana Illuminator, Floodlight, The Lens, WWNO-FM and The Guardian. NEW ORLEANS – In the early 1990s, James Wright lost his family home in the 9th Ward neighborhood when a new school was built on his block. “They basically took our houses because they gave us […]
Costs of incarceration rise as inflation squeezes inmates, families
Across the nation, prison commissaries are raising prices on items that many consider basic necessities — from deodorant to fresh fruit — not provided by the state department of corrections. The markups come as decades-high inflation is also squeezing inmates’ families, making it harder for them to help. It’s a burden that families shouldn’t have […]
Which officials have early access to LSU season tickets, parking passes?
Among the perks provided to select Louisiana officials – elected and appointed – is early access to buy season tickets ahead of the general public for LSU sports. For premium seats at Tiger Stadium, they are allowed to bypass a waitlist. On top of that, the majority of these officials are given early access to […]
Former Louisiana elected officials tap their old campaign funds to buy sports tickets
Editor’s note: This story is the second in a two-part series that looks into the spending of campaign money on sports tickets. You can read the first installment here. You’ll find a chart below this story that online sports ticket spending by former elected officials. In Louisiana, stepping down from public office doesn’t necessarily mean leaving behind all […]
Louisiana officials use campaign cash to buy LSU, Saints tickets
Editor’s note: This story is the first in a two-part series that looks into the spending of campaign money on sports tickets. You can find the second story here. If you’re looking for tickets to an LSU or Saints game this year, you might want to ask an elected official for help. Forty-nine Louisiana politicians spent […]
Former pro wrestler: Gov. Phil Bryant cut nonprofit funding for supporting his opponent
JACKSON, Mississippi – A former professional wrestler and defendant in the Mississippi welfare scandal is alleging that he personally witnessed Republican Gov. Phil Bryant instruct an appointee to cut welfare funding to a nonprofit because its director supported Democrat Jim Hood in the 2019 governor’s race. The allegation that Bryant leveraged his control of welfare spending […]
Bryant moves to keep texts private, denies he helped channel welfare for Brett Favre’s project
JACKSON, Mississippi – Former Gov. Phil Bryant has publicly produced dozens of text messages in an attempt to prove he was unaware that former NFL quarterback Brett Favre was using welfare money for his volleyball project. The court documents filed Friday come within a court battle between Bryant and the attorney for nonprofit founder Nancy […]
In Shreveport, meth addiction overshadows opioids
SHREVEPORT – Staff at the Philadelphia Center, an HIV resource center, spend their Friday mornings sifting through boxes of needles, condoms and lube. While the smaller needles tend to go faster, the center stocks all varieties for methamphetamine users who need clean supplies. “It’s not just about syringes for us,” Hershey Krippendorf, the center’s development […]
Abort Offshore has a fervent founder — and doubters
Michael Kimbro wants his “conservative friends” to know he is white and that, while he was raised in Texas, he now lives in Manhattan with his “third, much younger, wife.” These are details Kimbro shared in a now-deleted blog post to convince others they should embrace the pro-abortion rights cause – or risk being “tricked […]
LSU will no longer receive sexual harassment awareness and prevention training from local nonprofit
LSU has declined to renew the contract of Sexual Trauma and Response (STAR), the organization that has provided sexual assault and harassment awareness training to university employees following multiple instances of federal Title IX law violations. STAR is a Baton Rouge-based nonprofit dedicated to building a sexual assault-free community. Its employees help shape legislation, provide […]
Over a dozen nursing homes could evacuate to facilities that failed state inspections
Ahead of hurricane season this year, Ferncrest Manor Living Center in New Orleans submitted a summary of its evacuation plan to the Louisiana Department of Health – just like the 93 other nursing homes in Louisiana’s most storm-prone parishes. Ferncrest Manor’s plan garnered special attention from state health officials. The nursing home listed a campground […]