Council puts hope in criminal-justice reforms but raises questions about some budgets~Matt Davis, The Lens

New NOPD safety initiative raises legal questions~City Business
~Checking to see if car is locked to prevent theft may be a violation of Fourth Amendment, legal experts say

New Orleans school construction blueprint revised

Jefferson Parish cops hunt coyotes

Funny thing about Gill
~Library Chronicles

Census: Fewer black children in biggest US cities~David B. Caruso, AP
~Comment Posted by SandySays | 06/30/11 12:29 PM EDT
Interesting story. And we are extremely pleased that the writer, Mr. Caruso blamed the emptying of New Orleans on a catastrophic flood, not a weather event. As Gaye Tuchman, author of Wannabe U, wrote: "Look behind language that would seem to attribute social change or calamity to unpreventable weather."
The flooding of New Orleans was due to the failure of the levee system which should have worked, not a weather event.
Sandy Rosenthal, founder of Levees.org

I ask for your help~American Zombie

Bays closed, spillway open to fishing

Spilled boat fuel soils Bayou Barataria shore Wednesday

Another day, another spill...or two... in the Gulf~SkyTruth

Coastal restoration grows at Nicholls State University farm
~Also~Texas wetland restoration could be model for Gulf region

Louisiana Derby sandwiched around Final Four games in New Orleans

Odd Words
~Odd Bits of Life in New Orleans

A month of all-local foods changes writer's diet - and perspective
~Rebecca Mowbray

Blueberry Mojito Cupcake at Bee Sweet Cupcakes~Uptown Messenger

New restaurants and pop-ups add different flavor to the New Orleans palate ~Colleen Rush

District Supper Club: Coquette
~He Said/She Said NOLA

More Fun with Garden Herbs
~Blackened Out

2011 Geaux Fish offers $275,000 in prizes~Kandace Graves, Gambit

Latest News from Hogs for the Cause
~Editilla Notellas~We got this from their Newsletter, and didn't know how else to link. We love these folks and recommend everyone subscribe to HFTC so you can get gems like this recipe below.

Chef Stephen Stryjewski’s Braised Pork
with Mayhaw Jelly and Black Pepper Biscuits
~Stephen Stryjewski, executive chef of Cochon Restaurant, has had a 2011 full of Dominating: the 2011 James Beard Award for Best Chef 2011, a third place finish at Memphis in May in the Category of Whole Hog, and of course the 2011 Whole Hog Championship at Hogs for the Cause. Here, Chef Stryjewski shares his recipe for braised pork with black pepper biscuits and mayhaw jelly. But he had us at braised pork.

Braised Pork
8 lbs pork shoulder, bone in
5 Onions, peeled
5 Oranges, peeled
1 can Chipotle
10 Jalapenos, stem removed
3oz thyme
½ lb Garlic Cloves
16oz OJ
1T Cayenne Pepper
3T Chile powder
2T White pepper
5T Salt

Puree all ingredients except pork in a food processor and rub it in to the pork shoulder. Refrigerate overnight. Place pork and all juices into a dutch oven, cover, and place in a 350 degree oven for 4-6 hours or until meat is falling off the bone

Black Pepper Biscuits
5 cups White lily flour (measure after sifting)
1T plus ½t baking powder
3 T black pepper
1T kosher salt
½cup (1/4 lb) packed lard, chilled
1¼ cups buttermilk
3T unsalted butter, melted

Mix flour baking powder, black pepper and salt thoroughly. Add lard, half flour finely blended the other half about ½ inch pieces. Pour in buttermilk, and stir quickly just until dough is a blended mass. Turn dough immediately on floured surface, knead 8 to 10 times. Gently flatten dough with hand into even thickness, then roll out ½ inch thick. With a dinner floured dinner fork pierce the dough completely through at ½ inch intervals. Cut with a 2 1/2 or 3 inch round cutter. Don’t reroll scraps. Bake 10- 12 minutes. Brush tops with melted butter.
Yield: about 15 2 ½ inch biscuits. Mayhaw Jelly can be purchased at a specialty grocery store. It can also be substituted with Orange Marmalade or Pepper Jelly.

To serve: Cut hot biscuit in half and fill it with braised pork and Mayhaw Jelly

A new New Orleans resident, Spider Stacy of The Pogues