By Sam Hanna Jr. | The Franklin Sun | March 4, 2020 While tort reform is expected to dominate the headlines in the regular legislative session that begins next week, it isn’t the only hot topic the Legislature will entertain. Among the 1,120 bills that lawmakers pre-filed in the House and Senate as of close…
By Andrea Gallo and John Simerman | Advocate | March 2, 2020 Louisiana’s judges have promised the Legislature over and over again that they can clean up their own scandals and hold themselves to an ethical standard that instills respect from the public. But if the bills pre-filed for the upcoming legislative session are any…
By John Simmerman and David Hammer | Nola.com | February 18, 2020 Some of the New Orleans city building inspectors who signed off at key points of the construction of the Hard Rock Hotel before it pancaked and collapsed on Oct. 12, killing three laborers, do not appear to have been properly certified for the…
By Sara Pagones | Nola.com | February 16, 2020 A St. Tammany Parish task force studied a proposal to create a parish inspector general’s office for months in 2013 before finally scrapping the idea. Now, the citizens group that had pushed the proposal appears ready for another go. During a panel discussion on public corruption…
By Tom Aswell | Louisiana Voice | February 14, 2020 A two-hour public corruption forum in Abita Springs Thursday night produced little in the way of solutions to the growing problem of official wrongdoing in St. Tammany Parish but one question from an audience member did produce a buzz among the audience and some uncomfortable…
By Zeta Cross | Louisiana Record | February 9, 2020 Thanks to the Metropolitan Crime Commission (MCC), Louisiana citizens now have easy access to the same basic financial information about judges that is readily available about all other Louisiana elected officials. “If a judge is deciding a case that may affect somebody’s life, citizens have…
By Kenny Kuhn | WWL.com | February 7, 2020 Juvenile crime, particularly vehicle burglary, is a growing problem for residents and city leaders in New Orleans. But city leaders announced they are taking action in the form of electronic ankle monitors. “This monitor is a mechanism, that forces the child the juvenile to comply or…
By David Hammer | WWL Tv | February 7, 2020 NEW ORLEANS — Two top city officials met with the media Friday to explain why Mayor LaToya Cantrell signed a $50,000 contract with former U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite last week, saying they sought an outside investigation of the city’s permitting office in response to a…
By David Hammer | WWL Tv | February 6, 2020 NEW ORLEANS — The city of New Orleans is spending $50,000 for a New York-based law firm to investigate possible bribery and misconduct in its Safety & Permits Department, even as at least four local and federal law enforcement agencies and the City Council are…
By Natasha Robin | Fox 8 | February 6, 2020 NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) – “The offenders appear to have gotten more consideration than the victims of these crimes of violence,” says Rafael Goyeneche. Goyeneche, of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, calls some recent bonds at Criminal District Court, unfortunate. Three suspects appeared before a Magistrate…