This year’s French Quarter Festival boasts 70 local vendors, over 300 performances across 20 stages, and an expanded riverfront experience at the recently opened Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park at Governor Nicholls Wharf. https://ow.ly/9OEC50YLo7T
ICE arrests parents of young children at immigration hearing, sparking protest
A few dozen protesters gathered outside New Orleans’ immigration court to protest and demand the right to due process.
We stopped by French Quarter Festival 2026 for its kick-off day and captured some of the sights and sounds. What are you looking forward to at this year's festival?
The U.S. has begun deporting immigrants to the Democratic Republic of Congo. A woman detained in Louisiana was one of the first sent away.
Immigrants' rights activists and a family member of the woman who was deported said that the deportation amounts to a human rights violation.
New research of Medicaid claims in Louisiana links living near industrial facilities that produce air pollution with a variety of health conditions, including pregnancy complications and learning disabilities. More from @madhri.bsky.social for @veritenews.org.
veritenews.org/2026/04/16/c...
Bill to eliminate court clerk post won by Calvin Duncan advances in House — casting shadow over May election
The Criminal District Court clerk, the post Duncan won in November, oversees elections in New Orleans, leaving uncertainty about who would administer May primaries should the bill become…
Adam Ray Haydel built a business dynasty in New Orleans
At a time when opportunities for Black business owners were limited, Adam Ray Haydel built multiple enterprises.
Photos: 2026 French Quarter Fest kicks off
The French Quarter Festival started Thursday with a second line through the iconic neighborhood. The festival runs through Sunday.
Q&A: Rep. Bennie Thompson on his recent visit to the Adams County ICE facility
Thompson visited the Adams County Correctional Center in last week to speak with people detained there.
New Orleans City Councilmembers approve funding to expand NOPD drone program
The program raised concerns about heightened surveillance in the French Quarter.
New study ties industrial air pollution in Louisiana to increased risk of pregnancy complications and learning disabilities
Researchers combined government data from Medicaid claims with resident interviews to show elevated health risks among children, pregnant women and other adults who live near…
Jewish Voice for Peace organizes against Louisiana investing state education funds in Israel Bonds
The New Orleans chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace has been lobbying the state treasury not to reinvest education funds into the American-bond fund that supports Israel.
New: A @veritenews.org analysis of 100 police reports of NOPD gun arrests during the 2023-2025 Carnival seasons found stark racial disparities (94/100 arrestees are Black men)+ repetitive language (an officer observing a “bulge” in a pocket often led to arrest). 1/6 veritenews.org/2026/04/14/m...
New Orleans is seeking $5 million in federal aid to assess and remediate lead in soil at city playgrounds.
That's after an investigation from @veritenews.org and KFF Health News found high levels of lead contamination at playgrounds throughout the city.
Civil rights leaders and defense attorneys say they believe Holland lacks regards for the rights of Black defendants.
“He’s demonstrated that he is untrustworthy, unreserved in his aggression and without any judicial temperament,” one attorney said.
With @veritenews.org
Old Phillis Wheatley school was once a modernist landmark
The Phillis Wheatley Elementary School building stood above the Tremé neighborhood like no other.
House Bill 808 would narrow and define the types of physical contact that could be considered criminal exposure to the virus.
https://ow.ly/bx2f50YHt8S
Carnival crackdown: What 100 gun arrest reports say about policing during Mardi Gras
Every year, the NOPD touts the dozens of arrests they make for gun possession during Carnival season. But is policing for possession a sound strategy for violence reduction?
Water war: New Orleans Mayor and Sewerage & Water Board in conflict
The conflict between the Mayor Helena Moreno and the Sewerage & Water Board exposes a deeper truth: New Orleans doesn’t just have a water problem; it has a governance problem.
Judges overseeing Louisiana’s landmark oil cases have financial stakes in defendants
Federal judges held stock, bonds and leased mineral rights to Exxon, Chevron and others while hearing cases against the companies alleging damage to the Louisiana coast.
Critics say the resolution to incorporate content standards that include prenatal development mirrors efforts in other Republican-led states to introduce anti-abortion material into public school curriculum. https://ow.ly/SjZ650YHt7U
Julien Hudson was pioneering Black artist in Louisiana
Julien Hudson made a choice as a teenager that led to a career as a professional artist of color before the Civil War.
A sprawling liquified natural gas facility under construction near Lake Charles is projected to produce more emissions than every terminal built in the United States so far. https://ow.ly/KXYC50YHjqY
Why doesn't New Orleans have universal recycling? https://ow.ly/3Yiu50YHjmm
Louisiana has one of the harshest HIV exposure laws. Lawmakers advanced a bill to modernize it.
A Louisiana House committee unanimously passed a bill that would increase protections for people living with HIV and align the law with the latest science.
State House measure would push anti-abortion curriculum in public schools, critics say
Reproductive rights advocates say the vague language in House Concurrent Resolution 26 hides a strong anti-abortion agenda.
Who Fab festival to celebrate New Orleans’ LGBTQ+ community at the Broadside
Mia Borders, Rescalla, BJ So Cole and Drugstore Lipstick among the musicians performing at the festival fundraiser for the New Orleans Pride Center.
After an investigation by Verite News revealed pervasive lead contamination in playgrounds across New Orleans, city officials have requested federal funding to help address the problem. https://ow.ly/x6uN50YGMwf
Newspaper editor Paul Trévigne was a voice for civil rights
Trévigne used his pen to oppose racial injustice before the Civil War and helped establish Louisiana’s Republican Party.
