Katy Reckdahl

Razing a Community 10 31 06
Sixty-five years ago, New Orleans gave grand tours of its first public housing projects. Today, philosophies about public housing have changed, but Lafitte residents say that their project stood out as a stable, closely knit community -- one worth saving

Like a Ton of Bricks 10 24 06
Lafitte public housing residents were hit hard by the news that HUD plans to demolish their home, which they called "the best project in town." Now an unlikely coalition of architects, housing experts, agitators and former residents is trying to save the

Do You Know What It Means to Myth New Orleans? 08 22 06
One of the Crescent City's biggest challenges is overcoming inaccurate reports and stereotypes that formed in the immediate wake of Katrina.

West of the Sixth Ward 12 13 05
The Treme Brass Band fled the flood. They ended up in the desert.

Long Road to Freedom 07 26 05
The tragic tale of one station wagon, as told by New Orleans civil-rights veterans

Chief of Chiefs 07 05 05
Allison "Tootie" Montana is remembered as a legendary Mardi Gras Indian, a talented craftsman and a cherished neighbor.

Group Therapy 06 14 05
A local court was among the first in the nation to assemble its own treatment team to meet the needs of mentally ill defendants. But it hasn't been easy.

Summer Restaurant Guide 2005 06 07 05
Alligator to Zucchini

Frantz Escapes Chopping Block 05 17 05
School predicted to re-open as a working elementary school in 2010 -- the 50th anniversary of its integration.

Stopping a Second Line 05 03 05
NOPD officers stop the ReBirth brass band and other mourners from parading -- and Treme residents say they've lost a traditional outlet for their sorrow.

Target Practices 04 12 05
Jefferson Parish deputies practice marksmanship by shooting paintballs at this handmade wooden target. Experts say that the image fits into a long American tradition of using images of blacks as targets -- and fear it will lead to more blacks bei

St. Joseph's Night Gone Blue 03 29 05
On Saturday, March 19 -- St. Joseph's night -- Mardi Gras Indians were dancing and singing their way over to A.L. Davis park. Then came the sirens.

The Woman Behind the Curtains 03 15 05
In 2003, Kimberly Williamson Butler won an upset election to become clerk of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. Before long, stories began emerging from her office about security cameras, religious meetings, campaign work -- and one expensive set of

Tourists Gone Wild 02 01 05
Many of this city's visitors head straight to Bourbon Street for the drinks, the crowds and the flesh. Then maybe a prostitute, possibly some drugs. C'mon -- it's New Orleans!

Greece Is the Word 11 30 04

40 Under 40™ 11 16 04

Voting Tolls 11 09 04
For local election monitors, misinformation, malfunctions and late-arriving voting lists plagued the day's work.

Unlocking the Vote 11 02 04
Orleans Parish Prison inmates are casting votes for president and a new jailer, thanks to a group of former OPP prisoners.

2004 Fall Restaurant Guide by Neighborhood 10 12 04

Losing Patients 10 05 04
Working people who fill Charity Hospital's emergency room now routinely wait up to 12 hours for care. If the city lands a federal grant later this month, those patients could visit expanded city clinics.

Perfect Storm 09 28 04
Hurricane-season elections, a string of missteps in the clerk's office and an evacuated electorate. Was catastrophe inevitable on Sept. 18?

End of the Line 08 31 04
Last month, a federal judge shut down Bill Graham's notorious anti-abortion phone line. Behind the national headlines is a rare look at women who seek abortions and why.

Best Reason to Drive "Downstairs" 08 31 04

"Why?" 08 17 04
NOPD's shooting death of a young trombone player leaves onlookers and bandmates shocked and in search of answers.

Taking Back Tallulah 08 03 04
For years, their town was known for razor wire and broken bones. Now, the people of Tallulah are showing the nation how to pull down a prison and build a school in its place.

Interrupted 07 13 04
Grover Arbuthnot was charming the customers at Cafe Reconcile and working toward his own apartment, a car and a GED. Then he was gone.

The Power of Parents 06 15 04
The success of schools depends on more than the board and the superintendent -- it also involves parents. Ursula and D.J. Markey once sued the district for not educating their autistic son; now, they're training other parents and partnering with two publi

Ruby Bridges and Ruby Hall 06 08 04
In 1960, the nation watched 6-year-old Ruby Bridges integrate William Frantz Elementary School. Today, Ruby Hall lives quietly in New Orleans and rents a storage facility just to keep the mail she receives from schoolkids across the country.

Alligator to Zucchini Summer Restaurant Guide 2004 06 01 04

Alligator to Zucchini 06 01 04
Summer Restaurant Guide 2004

Down on the Corner 05 18 04
On Thursday, Joe's Cozy Corner may be serving its last drink. Is the city getting rid of a haven of lawlessness -- or is it losing a priceless community center?

Second Generation 04 27 04
The 35th annual Jazz & Heritage Festival gets ready for Week Two.

Stopping Through 04 27 04
No matter where trombonist Corey Henry is headed, the Treme neighborhood is always on the way.

Captive Audience 04 20 04
Thousands flood the gates for the 35th annual Jazz & Heritage Festival.

Lionel of All Trades 04 13 04
The 101 jobs of Lionel Batiste, bass drummer for the Treme Brass Band, natty dresser, and uncle to thousands.

Not Barred 03 30 04
A new voter-registration effort is targeting locals with a felony record. Many believe they canąt vote ‹ even when they can.

Spring Restaurant Guide (A-Z)
Directory Assistance 03 30 04
Our annual Spring Restaurant Guide stirs the alphabet soup of New Orleans dining.

Statutes Still Tell Story 03 16 04
A new report finds Jim Crow-era laws on the books in eight states, including Louisiana.

Thrown Out 03 09 04
Public housing families are being evicted for their children's curfew violations, fights and any arrests -- whether or not they're convicted. But is the Housing Authority itself breaking the law?

Return of the Pythians 03 02 04
The Alfred Lawless high school band is marching again, thanks to one of the town's new, young band directors.

The Majors 02 17 04
How the guys in the big hats deal with Mardi Gras parades, swarms of admirers, rival bands, parallel knee bends -- and most of all -- the musicians walking behind them.

Doors Still Open 02 10 04
Despite rumors and a changing neighborhood, Brantley Baptist has no plans to shut down.

Whither Stalder? 01 27 04
As Gov. Kathleen Blanco ponders the future of state Department of Corrections head Richard Stalder, the national debate continues about the costs of incarceration.

Winter Restaurant Guide (By Cuisine) 01 27 04

Big Man Gone 01 20 04
Local musicians play their hearts out, mourning the loss of Tuba Fats.

Hue Are You? 01 13 04
Southern Rep's production of Yellowman -- with its focus on light and dark skin -- has special resonance in New Orleans.

Pound Foolish 01 06 04
A look at obesity by the numbers

Jurors Dismissed 12 16 03
New Orleans juror Kathleen Hawk Norman is fighting to overturn her jury's verdict. Nationwide, other jurors are signing affidavits, demanding DNA testing -- and calling it their civic duty.

The Abolitionist 12 09 03
From the heart of the Bush administration comes Philip Mangano, a fiery "advocrat" who preaches an end to American homelessness.

Fisk Fiasco? 12 02 03
Was the principal at Fisk-Howard School trying to motivate her students or was she trying to make them feel small?

Conceiving Differences 12 02 03
The controversy around emergency contraception is one part just plain confusion and one part Catholic Church law, which says that life begins at the moment that the sperm fertilizes the ova.

The S-word 11 11 03
Proponents of "abstinence-only" education say that there's no such thing as safe sex. Critics say that abstinence-only programs bar frank discussions about condoms and birth control -- even "the s-word."

Grounded 11 04 03
Longtime local saxophonist Frederick Sheppard went overseas to play jazz and make some money. He came home on crutches and in debt to the U.S. government to the tune of $11,000.

Six Months Out 11 04 03
John Thompson talks about his sons, the time he wrongly spent on death row and his half-year of freedom.

Visiting Hours 10 28 03
As All Saints' Day approaches, Holt Cemetery workers and family members grieve, reminisce and scrub the graves clean.

2003 Fall Restaurant Guide by Neighborhood 10 28 03

Fall Restaurant Guide 10 28 03

40 Under 40™ 10 20 03

The Teacher With Three Kidneys 10 14 03
Organ-donation groups hope to get the word out through teachers like Randy Zell, a Newman School science teacher and kidney-transplant patient.

Jazz, Love and Violence 10 14 03
In his composition Strange Fruit, Irvin Mayfield uses jazz to address interracial relationships, lynching and the almighty dollar.

Who's Caring? 10 07 03
For years, the city's uninsured and working poor have turned to Charity Hospital. Recent budget cuts leave patients wondering who will see them now.

A Crusade Pays Off 09 30 03
Calvin Willis is exonerated -- and Janet Gregory has reason to celebrate.

Their Fair Chair 09 16 03
The 6-year-old Bogalusa girl who can't walk but drives a pink Barbie car. The 31-year-old Gentilly man who talks by tapping his left temple against a computer. A federal-court complaint alleges that Louisiana has denied motorized wheelchairs for thousands

Reasonable Suspicion? 09 02 03
Rod Amis says he was arrested because cops saw a black man handing seven dollars to a white man. Police say the arrest wasn't about skin color, it was about drug dealing.

Best of New Orleans © 2003 08 26 03

Paris in the Summertime 08 26 03
A little help from Danny Barker brought Eddieboh Paris from the streets to the trombone and back again.

Little Angolas 08 19 03
Tallulah will soon be shut down, but the state's other juvenile prisons still report hundreds of injuries. One newly released young man explains what he knows about prison fighting, respect and the value of Camel straight cigarettes.

The Changing Faces of AIDS 07 29 03
In 2002, one-third of New Orleanians newly diagnosed with HIV were female, most of them African-American women. That number has been rising rapidly. Almost no one is talking about it.

Mississippi Muslim 07 08 03
Welcome to New Medinah, Miss., a half-hour's drive outside Hattiesburg. For townspeople, this stretch of rural farmland is the perfect place to practice their faith.

Among the Exonerated 07 01 03
Last week for the first time, Greg Bright and Earl Truvia held nieces, nephews and cell phones. The pair served 27 years, possibly the longest wrongful sentence in American history.

No One Would Believe It 06 24 03
This month, Lyn Hill Hayward testified in front of a state legislative committee about clerical child abuse. She would not have found courage to speak out, she says, without her friendship with Walker Percy.

The Other Tallulah 06 17 03
Critics call it a brutal institution. The legislature wants to shut it down. Tallulah townspeople say the prison might not have been perfect, but it was always hiring.

New Trials 05 13 03
Last week, DNA evidence led to an exoneration hearing for Ryan Matthews, who had been convicted of the 1997 killing of a Bridge City grocer. For one man, the news means hope. For another, it's agony.

The Silver Screen 04 29 03
Local artist Terrance Donnels specializes in what he calls "ephemeral masterpieces" -- drawings made on a Etch A Sketch.

Roots of "Jazz" 04 08 03
By the time Leroy Jones picked up the nickname Jazz in high school, he had already played Jazz Fest and the Super Bowl -- and hour upon hour in his parents' garage.

Big Picture 04 01 03
This weekend, Critical Resistance descends on the Treme to examine the effects of the prison system on neighborhoods and families. Treme residents have plenty to add to the discussion.

Critical Care 04 01 03
For more than 30 years, when local children have needed psychiatric help, they have turned to the New Orleans Adolescent Hospital. Now, the hospital may be facing a crisis of its own.

Naming Names 03 18 03
When a federal document points a finger at an accused killer, should the media report the name -- even when no charges have been filed?

Name Dropping 03 04 03
In 1996, a trusted informant told the FBI that Dan Bright was doing time for a murder committed by someone else. For years, the bureau fought to hide the name that's listed on Document 212. That fight may finally be over.

Pretty Lady 03 04 03
Helen Koenig -- Miss Helen to those who know her -- has been keeping Mardi Gras Indians looking good for more than three decades.

Sizing Up Classrooms 02 25 03
What's behind new research from the Louisiana Department of Education about class size and student performance? Politics and inadequate data, say some critics.

Left Without 02 11 03
One New Orleans mom says that her autistic son is facing his 18th birthday with few skills and fewer services. Autism advocates say autistic adults rarely get the help they need.

Fed Up 01 28 03
Some neighbors say they can't stomach the Ozanam Inn's meals program any longer. Ozanam Inn staff members say demands for their services are only increasing.

Ties That Bind 01 14 03
For courtroom observers, recent reports of grim reaper and noose neckties in Jefferson Parish courtrooms are knotted up in issues of race and history.

Measured in Ounces 12 21 02
Louisiana has one of the highest proportion of low-birthweight babies in the nation. The results can be death or disabilities. The cause is often a mystery.

Released in the Night 12 10 02
A local mother says that her HIV-positive son had been half paralyzed by a stroke before he was wheeled to the door of Orleans Parish Prison and released into the night. Sheriff Charles Foti contends that her son was fine when he left the prison.

Chipping Away 11 26 02
'Walkers and talkers' from Health Care For All go door to door through this city's poorest neighborhoods looking for uninsured residents and kids. Recently, they've been joined from people from across the country who hope to repeat their success.

Can You Read This? 11 12 02
The staff at YES! -- the YMCA's adult-literacy program -- emphasizes voice along with vocabulary, justice along with job-readiness.

Louisiana's Loss 11 05 02
Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone's work crossed state boundaries, say local activists.

Missing the Vote 10 29 02
Myron Barnum, a local homeless man, wanted to cast his ballot at his neighborhood polling place on Nov. 5. Then he found out that Louisiana is one of two states that bars voters who live on the streets.

40 Under 40 10 15 02

Disorders in the Courts 10 08 02
If a federal grant comes through, Orleans Parish could launch one of the South's first 'mental-health courts.' It's one small way of dealing with a growing problem: mentally ill and troubled defendants.

'Walking While Homeless' 09 24 02
Homeless people are filing complaints with the mayor, the police chief, the FBI and the Office of Municipal Investigation, asserting that their very existence is now a crime in this city.

Scaling Back 09 17 02
During the past 35 years, the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corp. has argued thousands of civil cases on behalf of poor people. Now, they're facing budget cuts that could prove devastating to their clients.

Dumping Zone 09 03 02
Many of this city's chronically homeless came to the streets from a foster home, hospital or jail. Now, the federal government is mandating that these institutions stop 'dumping.'

Scuttlebutt 09 03 02

Mission Not Impossible 08 27 02
The New Orleans Mission doubles its capacity, thanks to a few hundred additional beds moved from Orleans Parish Prison.

Best of New Orleans® 08 27 02

Behind the Bite 08 20 02
City entomologist Greg Thompson explains that, to stop the West Nile virus, it helps to know about the mosquitoes that carry it.

Bench Marks 08 20 02
Judicial activist Susan Lerner explains why she thinks we should care who presides over the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Tapped Out 08 06 02
This city's young tap dancers are no longer welcome in the French Quarter. Are these kids troublemakers, or are they keeping an age-old New Orleans tradition alive?

Big Man on the Square 07 30 02
For years, music on Jackson Square has been the heart of New Orleans jazz. And at the heart of the Square has been Tuba Fats.

Tents Time for the Homeless? 07 23 02
An NOPD captain has proposed a 'tent city' for New Orleans' chronically homeless population. The city's homeless do need something, say local advocates, but not this.

Called to the Scene 06 25 02
Police have not always been considered advocates for battered women. Many don't think of themselves that way, either -- but a new NOPD pilot project is working to change that.

Third in a three-part series

Beaten and Blamed 06 18 02
One local woman struggles with both abuse and an arrest record. In New Orleans, that's not unusual.

Second of a three-part series

Why Doesn't She Leave? 06 11 02
Once dismissed as 'family trouble,' domestic violence is now recognized as an epidemic -- especially in New Orleans, where murders by intimate partners occur at five times the national average.

The first of a three-part series

When Seeing Is Not Believing 06 04 02
Everyone from Janet Reno to the governor of Illinois is questioning cases that depend on one eyewitness. In a local courtroom, attorney Emily Bolton, head of Innocence Project New Orleans, shows why one witness' 25-year-old testimony may be especially sus

For Adults Only 05 28 02
The Louisiana Supreme Court decides the youths charged in the Carter Woodson shooting are not guaranteed a jury trial.

When the Rubber Hits the Road 05 14 02
A local man throws tens of thousands of State of Louisiana condoms in a dumpster and almost dooms the state's condom-giveaway program.

Scuttlebutt 05 07 02

Singing Praises 04 02 02
Longtime opera vocalists welcome a landmark production of Porgy and Bess to New Orleans.

The Best Cure 02 19 02
How should Louisiana prevent unwanted pregnancies -- make it easier to obtain emergency contraception or exclusively teach abstinence?

Law and Border 02 12 02
At an admittedly 'not ideal' time, Tulane Law School closes its immigration clinic.

Passing the Torch 02 05 02
Each year, flambeau carriers gather to light up parades, make a little money, and try to dance better than dad.

Loaded Question 01 22 02
Local high school seniors grapple with the question: Why do kids carry guns?

The Jury Is Still Out 01 08 02
Next week, defense attorneys will argue in front of the state supreme court that two local juveniles deserve a trial by jury.

No Choice 01 08 02
Last fall, a university student tried to get an abortion. Instead, she says, she was fooled by a man who said he could help.

Staying in the Black 12 18 01
A local effort encourages black shoppers to remember black-owned businesses this holiday season.

Creative Sentencing in Baton Rouge 11 27 01
The following are excerpts of sentences handed down in the past year by the Criminal Sections of the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish, as taken from public records.

When Rights Might Be Wrong 11 20 01
A Tulane 'Street Law' program poses the question: Should high school kids assert their constitutional rights during police stops?

Can This Prison Change Its Stripes? 11 06 01
In northeast Louisiana, the notorious juvenile prison still sits, lights on, guards on alert. The state of Louisiana says that it's turned Tallulah around. Others disagree -- including a young New Orleans man who had his jaw broken there this spring.

Doing Girls Justice 10 02 01
Tailoring juvenile-justice programs to girls like 14-year-old Keisha takes more than adapting bathrooms and slapping pink paint on the walls.

Not Amused 09 18 01
WRNO morning team Walton and Johnson's comments following last week's attack prompt a complaint to the FCC.

No Fare 09 04 01
Locals say they aren't being treated right. Cab drivers say they fear for their lives. Twice a week, both sides meet in City Hall to find out just who's taking whom for a ride.

'The Dangerous Hours' 08 28 01
Mayor Morial's idea to extend school hours receives support from experts in juvenile crime -- including those working in Canal Street stores.

Turning Back Time 07 24 01
A national report shows that Louisiana puts more people behind bars than any other state. But Louisiana now leads the nation in a new way: re-thinking its approach toward sentencing.

Juries for Juveniles 06 19 01
A jury trial is granted in the Woodson school shooting case, but the district attorney's office says it'll be struck down on appeal.

Between Iraq and a Hard Place 06 12 01
Jassmin Al Salehy hasn't been a model citizen in America. In fact, he's not a citizen at all. Now, the U.S. would like to send the former freedom fighter back home to Iraq. Al Salehy says that's a death sentence.

Curbing the Message 06 12 01
Anti-prison graffiti writers encounter the touch of gray.

Rock and a Hard Place 05 15 01
Trying to sort out what happened behind the drug arrest at Sixth and Dryades on the last day of March.

The Best of the West 03 20 01
Henry Allen ran his brass band for 45 years, and his son Red was a trumpet player known the world over. They're just two luminaries in the constellation that is old Algiers.

Panther Sprung 03 06 01
Newly released 'Angola Three' inmate Robert King Wilkerson says that he's glad to be free -- and that he won't forget the two who remain in captivity.

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