NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans City Council has committed to funding quality early childhood education to help set children up for success in elementary school. However, once they get to high school, New Orleans' youth need to graduate ready to continue onto post-secondary education and pursue quality careers. Orleans Parish has many unfilled entry- and middle-skill employment in high wage, high demand careers available to graduates. The newly-opened New Orleans Career Center (NOCC) is meeting this need by connecting industry, workforce, and education, and developing future leaders in high-growth industries.

NEW ORLEANS - The Public Works Committee will hear from leadership of the Sewerage and Water Board (S&WB) and the Department of Public Works at its meeting on Monday, Oct. 15. The S&WB will provide an update to the committee on their work to restore public confidence in regards to customer bills.

NEW ORLEANS - In backyards across the city, pools sit unmaintained, serving as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and posing health and safety threats to children. By law, pools shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition, in good repair with a functioning filtration system, and completely surrounded by a six-foot high fence with gates that are self-closing and self-latching. There are at least 61 unmaintained pools, by the city's count, and many have languished in disrepair for over a decade while owners work the city's code enforcement adjudication process to their advantage.

NEW ORLEANS - In an ongoing effort to find workable solutions to the problems the Sewerage and Water Board (S&WB) faces, Councilmember Joe Giarrusso on Thursday authored and introduced an ordinance that would exempt the utility from employee domicile requirements after receiving confirmation from the utility to lift the requirements. The legislation seeks to address the immediate need for robust hiring by the S&WB to address and improve public safety, health, and infrastructure issues revealed after the August 5, 2017 flood.

Citing a lack of public trust in the Sewerage and Water Board's (S&WB's) billing system, the entire City Council on Friday asked the utility to reconsider its decision to reinstate normal collections, including shutoffs. The request comes after the S&WB agreed in a recent Public Works committee meeting that they lack the resources and capacity to ensure that all bills sent to customers are correct.