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Verite News

@veritenews.org
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Nonprofit news for New Orleans elevating voices from communities that have been historically dismissed or ignored to create thoughtful, solution-based coverage on crucial topics. Sign up for our newsletters here: veritenews.org/newsletter-signup

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Verite News @veritenews.org · 1h
Three trans women have been held in solitary confinement for months while allegedly facing discrimination, medical neglect and physical abuse at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center. ow.ly/z3tX50ZUr1i
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Trans detainees allege abuse at Jena ICE facility
Three trans women have been held in solitary confinement for months allege that they are facing abuse at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 2h
Immigration reporter @robste.bsky.social has covered everything from Catahoula Crunch and its impact on immigrant communities to prison labor and local elections. His latest work follows community opposition to an ICE detention center in Alexandria. ow.ly/upIf50ZUbRt
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 19h
“Linc Hayes,” that cool Black undercover cop with the iconic ‘fro and dark sunglasses, has a New Orleans connection. ow.ly/RnJj50ZUff3
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 21h
With November’s midterm elections approaching, a grassroots organization is calling on candidate for Louisiana’s U.S. Senate seat, Julia Letlow, to accept an invitation to debate Jamie Davis. ow.ly/losV50ZU936
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 23h
At a community town hall hosted by the Big Easy Budget Coalition, community members debated how the city should spend its waning general fund — and argued that it shouldn’t be on the police. ow.ly/ZtaF50ZU90r
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 04/10/2026
Anti-censorship groups said a new St. Tammany Library Control Board policy would allow the board to exclude books that discuss race, sexuality and gender identity. ow.ly/919a50ZU8UH
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 03/10/2026
L.B. Landry High School, which is housed in a sprawling $54 million campus that was built with post-Katrina federal recovery funds, has experienced severe enrollment declines over the past several years. ow.ly/Fknj50ZU8SG
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 03/10/2026
A central function of The Black School is its design apprenticeship program, in which artists aged 14 to 24 are trained for six months in graphic design and other design disciplines. ow.ly/KRZY50ZU8Ok
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 03/10/2026
Asylum seeker Min Khant Zaw spent seven weeks at the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Jena, Louisiana before being released on a $40,000 bond. ow.ly/3BYX50ZU8IL
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 03/10/2026
Faith leaders and residents marched and prayed in Alexandria, opposing a new immigration facility for families and children. Watch a minute from the Oct. 1 vigil. ow.ly/S9AT50ZU9TR
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 02/10/2026
Tensions in St. Tammany rose after the Library Board of Control voted on a resolution to change the book collection guidelines and keep restricting access to seven young adult graphic novels. ow.ly/GwZr50ZU5tW
Image: A contested library book as pictured at a St. Tammany Parish Library Board of Control meeting in Mandeville.

Text:   Anti-censorship groups said the new policy would allow the board to exclude books that discuss race, sexuality and gender identity. “I think it signals the removal of LGBTQ books and people of color books because they use the term ‘community standard’ and that is their code word for the majority,” said Kristin Luchsinger, the co-founder of the St. Tammany Library Alliance.Image: A page from the book "Insectopolis" depicting insect reproduction.

Text: In a separate vote at the meeting, the board chose to keep restricting access to seven books, including ones that talk about puberty and insect reproduction.

Collings said the library administration chose to keep “Insectopolis” restricted because it depicts two insects engaging in sexual activity.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 01/10/2026
Library’s Children Resource Center reopens as early literacy hub after year-long renovation The CRC has transformed from a library for children to a space that encourages play and reading.
veritenews.org
Library’s Children Resource Center reopens as early literacy hub after year-long renovation
The CRC has transformed from a library for children to a space that encourages play and reading.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 01/10/2026
Group calls on Senate candidate Letlow to participate in debate With November’s midterm elections approaching, a grassroots organization is calling on candidate for Louisiana’s U.S. Senate seat, Julia Letlow, to accept an invitation to debate Jamie Davis.
veritenews.org
Group calls on Senate candidate Letlow to participate in debate
With November’s midterm elections approaching, a grassroots organization is calling on candidate for Louisiana’s U.S. Senate seat, Julia Letlow, to accept an invitation to debate Jamie Davis.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 30/09/2026
Reporter Diego Perdomo was on Fox 8 Nola to talk about what a $5 million funding cut would mean for New Orleans' Low Barrier Shelter and residents who rely on it. ow.ly/umBV50ZTiUH
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 30/09/2026
New Orleans’ proposed 2027 budget comes as the city faces a projected $100M+ budget gap. Here are three things to know about possible changes involving city jobs, services, and property taxes. Watch the breakdown ⬇️
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 30/09/2026
LGBTQ+ pop-up bookstore launching with banned books cabaret The Lavender Cafe will start out as a pop-up shop, but the founder has plans to open up a brick-and-mortar location for the LGBTQ+ community.
veritenews.org
LGBTQ+ pop-up bookstore launching with banned books cabaret
The Lavender Cafe will start out as a pop-up shop, but the founder has plans to open up a brick-and-mortar location for the LGBTQ+ community.
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Reposted by Verite News
drew xolaya costley (they/she) @drewcostley.northsky.social · 29/09/2026
New Orleans is poised to close L.B. Landry, one of two high schools on the city's West Bank. Troy Carter, the U.S. Congressman who is an alum of the school, pleaded in an open letter to keep the school open. More @veritenews.org. veritenews.org/2026/09/29/l...
veritenews.org
District officials unsure if L.B. Landry can stay open after 26-27 school year
As the district works to increase fill rates in schools, underenrolled campuses such as Landry might see changes.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 30/09/2026
City leaders are wrangling a significant budget deficit for the second year in a row. With limited funds, what should they prioritize? At a community town hall hosted by the Big Easy Budget Coalition, community members debated how the city should spend its waning general fund — and argued that it…
veritenews.org
City leaders are wrangling a significant budget deficit for the second year in a row. With limited funds, what should they prioritize?
At a community town hall hosted by the Big Easy Budget Coalition, community members debated how the city should spend its waning general fund — and argued that it shouldn't be on the police.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 30/09/2026
Min Khant Zaw was flying back home to Louisiana from a West Coast vacation when he was detained by ICE officers at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. ow.ly/w1hH50ZSW5J
Text: He fled genocide in Myanmar. ICE detained him in Louisiana.

Image: Min Khant Zaw, who spent seven weeks in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention before being released, poses for a portrait at his host family’s home in Covington.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 30/09/2026
Louisiana-born baseball player, Oliver “The Ghost” Marcelle, was quick-tempered but gifted on the field He played for several teams, from 1918 to 1931, winning pennants twice with the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants and once with the Baltimore Black Sox.
veritenews.org
Louisiana-born baseball player, Oliver “The Ghost” Marcelle, was quick-tempered but gifted on the field
He played for several teams, from 1918 to 1931, winning pennants twice with the Atlantic City Bacharach Giants and once with the Baltimore Black Sox.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 29/09/2026
St. Tammany Library Control Board votes on collection criteria, access to some books angers residents Tensions in St. Tammany rose after the Library Board of Control voted on a resolution to change the book collection guidelines and keep restricting access to seven young adult graphic novels.
veritenews.org
St. Tammany Library Control Board votes on collection criteria, access to some books angers residents
Tensions in St. Tammany rose after the Library Board of Control voted on a resolution to change the book collection guidelines and keep restricting access to seven young adult graphic novels.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 29/09/2026
At meeting, community members ask to keep L.B. Landry High School open. But the district says that might not be viable. As the district works to increase fill rates in schools, underenrolled campuses such as Landry might see changes.
veritenews.org
At meeting, community members ask to keep L.B. Landry High School open. But the district says that might not be viable.
As the district works to increase fill rates in schools, underenrolled campuses such as Landry might see changes.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 29/09/2026
News Quiz: 2027 New Orleans city budget proposal relies largely on cuts Think you know New Orleans? Test your knowledge by taking our quiz on Mayor Moreno's proposed budget cuts.
veritenews.org
News Quiz: 2027 New Orleans city budget proposal relies largely on cuts
Think you know New Orleans? Test your knowledge by taking our quiz on Mayor Moreno's proposed budget cuts.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 28/09/2026
New community arts center to open in New Orleans’ 7th Ward The Black Schoolhouse will bring youth arts programming to a neighborhood lacking community arts centers.
veritenews.org
New community arts center to open in New Orleans’ 7th Ward
The Black Schoolhouse will bring youth arts programming to a neighborhood lacking community arts centers.
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Rachel Maddow @maddow.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
"For months, a group of central Louisianans and its growing coalition of allies have come together to thwart the family and child detention facility from taking root in Alexandria..." veritenews.org/2026/09/22/o...
veritenews.org
Opponents of Alexandria ICE detention facility hold community forum - Verite News New Orleans
The England Authority Board of Commissioners is slated to discuss the planned ICE detention facility at a meeting on Thursday.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 28/09/2026
Marino Casem knew football, helped lead Southern, Alcorn and Alabama State teams to victory Marino Casem took college football seriously. Wherever he coached or served as athletic director, he made his mark. “On the East Coast, football is a cultural experience,” he said. “In the Midwest, it’s a…
veritenews.org
Marino Casem knew football, helped lead Southern, Alcorn and Alabama State teams to victory
Marino Casem took college football seriously. Wherever he coached or served as athletic director, he made his mark. “On the East Coast, football is a cultural experience,” he said. “In the Midwest, it’s a form of cannibalism. On the West Coast, it’s a tourist attraction. And in the South, football is religion, and Saturday is the holy day.” Casem spent more than three decades coaching and leading college athletics. He was head football coach at Alabama State, Alcorn State and Southern University, compiling a 159-93-8 record. He was Alcorn’s athletic director for 20 years and Southern’s for 13.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 28/09/2026
In Southeast Louisiana, Tangipahoa Parish has seen the highest growth in voters being moved to the inactive list with more than 23,000 people being placed on it. ow.ly/hTLk50ZRSOq
Text: Tangipahoa residents want to make sure all voters know about inactive list

Image: Tamara Whittington looks at a canvasing app during a voter registration and inactive voter training meeting in Hammond.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 28/09/2026
He fled genocide in Myanmar. ICE detained him in Louisiana. Min Khant Zaw, a Rohingya and Kaman activist and asylum seeker, had his life upended after spending seven weeks inside an ICE detention facility in Louisiana.
veritenews.org
He fled genocide in Myanmar. ICE detained him in Louisiana.
Min Khant Zaw, a Rohingya and Kaman activist and asylum seeker, had his life upended after spending seven weeks inside an ICE detention facility in Louisiana.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 28/09/2026
The Fred Hampton Free Store in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward turned an abandoned building into a community sanctuary and resource. ow.ly/X0py50ZS1yu
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 26/09/2026
In Southeast Louisiana, Tangipahoa Parish has seen the highest growth in voters being moved to the inactive list with more than 23,000 people being placed on it. ow.ly/spP350ZReCe
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Tangipahoa residents want to make sure all voters know about inactive list - Verite News New Orleans
A coalition of organizations has mobilized in Tangipahoa Parish advance of the midterms to make sure as many parish residents as possible know about the inactive voter list and how to get off of it.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 26/09/2026
Pianist and composer Clarence Williams partnered with violinist Armand J. Piron to start a music publishing business that would became the country’s leading Black-owned music publisher. ow.ly/QHLf50ZPMev
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 25/09/2026
The 2027 budget Moreno presented relies primarily on cuts, though it’s possible that property tax increases may be on the table. ow.ly/2K0C50ZRBln
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 25/09/2026
The shelter is the only New Orleans shelter that boards pets and does not require sobriety tests and identification. ow.ly/EFBR50ZReI6
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 25/09/2026
Terrence Duvernay was a champion for affordable housing from New Orleans to D.C. He helped set housing policy across the nation, working during the administrations of Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
veritenews.org
Terrence Duvernay was a champion for affordable housing from New Orleans to D.C.
He helped set housing policy across the nation, working during the administrations of Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 24/09/2026
“They promised us a special meeting … and then a few days later, they canceled it.” Opponents of the proposed ICE detention facility at England Airpark held their own public forum, saying the community deserves information and a chance to ask questions.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 24/09/2026
Tangipahoa residents want to make sure all voters know about inactive list A coalition of organizations has mobilized in Tangipahoa Parish advance of the midterms to make sure as many parish residents as possible know about the inactive voter list and how to get off of it.
veritenews.org
Tangipahoa residents want to make sure all voters know about inactive list
A coalition of organizations has mobilized in Tangipahoa Parish advance of the midterms to make sure as many parish residents as possible know about the inactive voter list and how to get off of it.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 24/09/2026
Concerns raised included the lack of transparency around contracts with the federal government and the trauma children will experience in detention. ow.ly/1ua850ZQPvO
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drew xolaya costley (they/she) @drewcostley.northsky.social · 23/09/2026
The largest homeless shelter in New Orleans could close if the proposed $5 million cut to it in the 2027 city of New Orleans budget is approved by the City Council. We spoke to people who use the facility and advocates about the proposal. More @veritenews.org. veritenews.org/2026/09/23/l...
veritenews.org
Low-barrier homeless shelter could close due to budget cuts
Mayor Helena Moreno proposed that $5 million be cut from the city’s contribution to the largest shelter for people experiencing homelessness in New Orleans.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 24/09/2026
Louisiana’s AG has pushed back against almost all compensation claims brought by the wrongfully convicted, even in cases where men were exonerated by DNA evidence. “She knows people are innocent but she doesn’t care,” one man said. with @veritenews.org
propublica.org
He’s Eligible for Up to $480,000 After Being Wrongly Imprisoned for 42 Years. The State Says No.
Elvis Brooks’ case was an egregious example of a wrongful conviction, civil rights attorneys said. But Louisiana’s attorney general maintains that Brooks and other exonerees are guilty — and therefore...
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 24/09/2026
After spending years of listening to stories from fellow immigrants, this New Orleans-area artist has released a new album inspired by their experiences. ow.ly/EnQw50ZQPtG
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 23/09/2026
Operator says Low Barrier Shelter could close due to budget cuts Mayor Helena Moreno proposed that $5 million be cut from the city’s contribution to the largest shelter for people experiencing homelessness in New Orleans.
veritenews.org
Operator says Low Barrier Shelter could close due to budget cuts
Mayor Helena Moreno proposed that $5 million be cut from the city’s contribution to the largest shelter for people experiencing homelessness in New Orleans.
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Reposted by Verite News
drew xolaya costley (they/she) @drewcostley.northsky.social · 21/09/2026
The teachers union at Bricolage Academy is alleging that school violated its contract with the union twice in the past year, and hasn't responded to requests for arbitration. More @veritenews.org. veritenews.org/2026/09/21/b...
veritenews.org
Bricolage union alleges charter school violated contract - Verite News New Orleans
The union says that Bricolage wrongfully fired a kindergarten teacher who had been at the school for a decade.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 23/09/2026
The Ouachita Parish DA’s office attempted to obtain a DNA sample this week from former death row inmate Jimmie “Chris” Duncan in an apparent effort to reopen the case against him for the 1993 death of his former girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter. ow.ly/KKIS50ZPMCP
Text: Ouachita DA reopens prosecution of former death row prisoner Jimmie Duncan

Image: Jimmie “Chris” Duncan stands in front of a motel in Alexandria, Louisiana, where he lived for weeks until he found an apartment.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 23/09/2026
Actor Clarence Williams III’s New Orleans connection runs deep He was the grandson of New Orleans musician, songwriter and music publisher Clarence Williams.
veritenews.org
Actor Clarence Williams III’s New Orleans connection runs deep
He was the grandson of New Orleans musician, songwriter and music publisher Clarence Williams.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 23/09/2026
Commentary: Jamie Davis can run a competitive race, but he will need to turn out Black voters in high numbers, while also attracting crossover white, rural, working-class Republican voters. ow.ly/oKjm50ZMWab
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Can Jamie Davis run a competitive Louisiana U.S. Senate campaign? - Verite News New Orleans
For Davis to do well in the November Senate election, he will need to find a way to significantly increase turnout in traditional Democratic strongholds like New Orleans.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 23/09/2026
Pianist and composer Clarence Williams partnered with violinist Armand J. Piron to start a music publishing business that would became the country’s leading Black-owned music publisher. ow.ly/53O650ZQlCk
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 22/09/2026
Moreno proposes lean $1.47 billion city budget for 2027, with layoffs and further cuts Moreno’s 2027 budget proposes cutting about 150 full-time positions and cutting operational budgets nearly across the board.
veritenews.org
Moreno proposes lean $1.47 billion city budget for 2027, with layoffs and further cuts
Moreno’s 2027 budget proposes cutting about 150 full-time positions and cutting operational budgets nearly across the board.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 22/09/2026
Opponents of Alexandria ICE detention facility hold community forum The England Authority Board of Commissioners is slated to discuss the planned ICE detention facility at a meeting on Thursday.
veritenews.org
Opponents of Alexandria ICE detention facility hold community forum
The England Authority Board of Commissioners is slated to discuss the planned ICE detention facility at a meeting on Thursday.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 21/09/2026
Bricolage union alleges charter school violated contract The union says that Bricolage wrongfully fired a kindergarten teacher who had been at the school for a decade.
veritenews.org
Bricolage union alleges charter school violated contract
The union says that Bricolage wrongfully fired a kindergarten teacher who had been at the school for a decade.
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Verite News @veritenews.org · 21/09/2026
Clarence Williams wasn’t known just for music; he left his mark in publishing too Williams partnered with violinist Armand J. Piron to start a music publishing business that would became the country's leading Black-owned music publisher.
veritenews.org
Clarence Williams wasn’t known just for music; he left his mark in publishing too
Williams partnered with violinist Armand J. Piron to start a music publishing business that would became the country's leading Black-owned music publisher.
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