Nearly two years after FOX 8 and The Athletic investigated the financial mismanagement of a group that promised a so-called Field of Dreams in the Ninth Ward, a new group has formed to make that dream a reality.
The use of a city-owned vehicle is supposed to be for city services. But FOX 8 has found that a New Orleans city council member has been using her city-issued vehicle and provided security detail to run personal errands.
Members of the New Orleans City Council receive a unique perk, use of a city-owned vehicle and a security specialist contracted from the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. A FOX 8 Investigation found two of those security specialists are not allowed to perform security functions.
DNA paternity labs are not regulated by the FDA; rather, there is a voluntary accreditation process. The records about those labs are kept largely under wraps.
The relocation of a helicopter landing site at a New Orleans hospital has neighbors upset after having little to no input in the move. The project was also completed without the proper permits being issued by the City of New Orleans.
Wesley Bishop, a former state senator who was the subject of several investigations by FOX 8′s Lee Zurik, has been permanently disbarred by the Supreme Court of Louisiana after his guilty plea in federal court to making false statements to a federal agency.
The New Orleans City Council will meet on Thursday and decide whether or not to allow Folgers Coffee Company to receive tax exemptions on work that was completed years ago at their New Orleans East facilities.
On the heels of a Thursday meeting where the New Orleans City Council will vote on whether to grant Folgers Coffee Company millions of dollars in retroactive tax exemptions, the city is now looking into another issue where the company could owe money.
On the job for just over a year, Regional Transit Authority CEO Alex Wiggins already has allegations of retaliation, like those at his previous public transit jobs, uncovered by FOX 8 Investigates.
A New Orleans City Councilmember says a major company is using a loophole to avoid paying millions of dollars in taxes owed to the city and now she wants a state board to put a stop to it.
A group of workers for a national airport services contractor say their employer forced them to work their full schedule but claim unemployment for a portion of their paycheck.
After being listed for weeks as a ‘red zone’ state in White House Coronavirus Task Force reports, Louisiana is now listed in the so-called ’yellow zone’ for both new cases and test positivity. But state leaders warn overall testing has been down due to last week's hurricane.
Former St. Tammany Parish District Attorney Walter Reed has been moved from a minimum-security prison in West Virginia and will now be serving the rest of his sentence at home in Covington.
Improvement projects were made at the New Orleans Folgers plant in 2017, but since that time the company has delayed a decision on a tax exemption. A watchdog group says the company should owe the city millions in taxes on the project over the years-long delay.
Former State Senator Wesley Bishop has been suspended from practicing law after he was sentenced in July for falsifying federal loan documents related to his rental property.
The White House Coronavirus Task Force notes 'stability' in new cases and percent positivity in tests in the latest report sent to Governor John Bel Edwards on August 10.
In a weekly report compiled by the White House Coronavirus Task Force, 51 parishes are being classified in a so-called ‘Red Zone’, suggesting further restrictions to help control the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
Former State Senator Wesley Bishop was sentenced to four years of probation for providing false information to a federal housing agency relating to his rental property in New Orleans East. Bishop received a $188,000 loan to provide the property for rent to low-income tenants.
A committee has recommended suspension of the law license for a former court clerk in the First City Court who had thousands in questionable spending in his last days in office.
A former state senator awaiting sentencing on a charge of making false statements to a federal agency is asking a federal judge for a lighter sentence due to COVID-19 concerns.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed a bill Tuesday that would end the so-called Patriot Penalty where members of the military who are deployed are charged for a lapse in coverage during their deployment. The penalty was the focus of an investigation by FOX 8 News and Investigate TV into the p
When the new terminal at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport opened it had several New Orleans features included -- but its what was missing that has some local businesses feeling left at the gate.
The Louisiana Department of Health has released data about COVID-19 cases at specific nursing homes in the state. See a map that plots this data for nursing homes across the state.
Three city building inspectors who are under investigation for signing off on inspections without physically being at the worksite have avoided pre-termination hearings at City Hall by submitting resignation and retirement requests.
Initial reports had the death toll at the Lambeth House at 13 people, as of late March. FOX 8 reached out to the families of those who died and reviewed coroner’s documents to show that 23 residents of the Lambeth House died from COVID-19.
Testing has been at the forefront of concerns of getting a handle on the coronavirus outbreak that has sickened thousands in Louisiana and killed more than 1,500 people. But one doctor’s drive-thru testing method and use of a controversial drug has one medical expert saying it is not good medicine.
A federal district court judge has denied a group of attorneys’ efforts for an injunction to stop the St. Tammany Parish Jail’s crowded jail cells. The attorneys filed the request for a temporary injunction citing concerns over the COVID-19 outbreak in Louisiana.
Attorneys suing the St. Tammany Parish Jail over extended use of holding cells, keeping inmates there for days -- if not weeks -- are asking a judge to step in and force the jail to stop those practices amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Louisiana.
Attorneys who previously filed a class-action lawsuit regarding the cramped holding cells in the St. Tammany Parish Jail are now seeking investigations into the practice on both the state and federal level.
When drive-thru testing sites were established in New Orleans to test for COVID-19, healthcare workers and first responders were the first to get tested. But a week after those frontline workers were tested, their results are still outstanding.
Testing has been a crucial focus of determining the true scope of the spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, but FOX 8 has learned hundreds of tests performed at Ochsner screening sites are still outstanding more than a week after patients were tested.
State and local leaders are very concerned that the ventilator supply for the New Orleans area may run out as soon as next week, as the state continues to respond to the Coronavirus outbreak which has sickened more than a thousand Louisianians.
A lawsuit has been filed against the St. Tammany Jail and their practice of keeping inmates in crammed holding cells for days, a practice FOX 8 first exposed in a Lee Zurik Investigation. Lawyers say the situation is especially concerning in the time of social distancing to prevent COVID-19.
State leaders are very concerned with hospital capacity in the New Orleans area during the novel coronavirus outbreak that is being seen across the state.
When FOX 8 took first exposed the crowded holding cells in St. Tammany Parish that kept inmates well past the 48-hour minimum jail standard, a department official said the problem was “not just in St. Tammany." However, a review of area jails paints a different picture.
The City of New Orleans will be demoting Zachary Smith, the head of the city’s Department of Safety and Permits, the city’s chief administrative officer confirms to FOX 8 News on Monday. The move comes after discrepancies were exposed in a series of FOX 8 Investigations.
Holding cells are meant to hold inmates for their first few days in custody. But a FOX 8 Lee Zurik Investigation found one jail was keeping people in these holding cells for weeks, against state standards.
FOX 8 has uncovered additional discrepancies between the New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits inspection logs and GPS data from vehicles in the department.
Two inspectors with the City of New Orleans Department of Safety and Permits have been placed on emergency suspension, following a series of FOX 8 reports that revealed discrepancies between city inspection logs and GPS records of the department’s vehicles.
A third inspector likely did not visit the Hard Rock Hotel construction site despite signing off on work at the site, according to FOX 8′s ongoing analysis of GPS data from the City of New Orleans.
A New Orleans university continues to be plagued by a financial crisis they say is due to declining enrollment and cuts from state funding. But FOX 8 News found past chancellors are able to stay on the payroll at the institution and collect paychecks higher than what is stated in their contracts.
An examination of the City of New Orleans GPS records shows additional discrepancies with more city inspectors at the site of the Hard Rock Hotel. The records were requested by FOX 8 News in December 2019, following the deadly collapse in October that killed three men.
A city inspector that performed several inspections at the Hard Rock Hotel construction site was not certified during some of those inspections, records obtained by FOX 8 show.
New Orleans City Hall officials are investigating whether employees signed off on inspections at the construction site of the Hard Rock Hotel without visiting the project. The site collapsed in October killing three men and leaving a scar on the city's skyline.
At least two Louisiana lawmakers plan to address an issue exposed in an InvestigateTV investigation into the so-called ‘Patriot Penalty’ where servicemembers pay more for auto insurance after being deployed.
Service members who cancel their car insurance to serve overseas may come back to find higher rate quotes after telling companies they didn't have coverage because of deployment.
A mural that cost the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) thousands to purchase and even more to install will be coming down following employee concerns, according to a memo from the agency’s CEO obtained by FOX 8 News.
When Mayor LaToya Cantrell went before cameras on Friday, Jan. 31, to explain federal tax liens placed on her and her husband’s Broadmoor home, she repeatedly tried to downplay the severity -- saying it was mostly interest and penalties.
Current and former NFL players say they have tested positive for drugs because of contaminated supplements. Scientists say it's a problem not just for athletes but anyone taking supplements - particularly those in performance-enhancement categories like weight loss and muscle building.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell spent nine minutes answering questions about a Lee Zurik Investigation that uncovered her and her husband’s taxes that have not been properly filed in eight of the last nine years.
As taxes begin to be filed for another year, the Internal Revenue Service is still trying to collect a hefty sum from New Orleans’ top-elected official.
The Port of New Orleans installed a new piece of artwork at their headquarters they say is to welcome visitors, but an investigation by FOX 8's Lee Zurik found the painting that costs thousands of public money isn't easy for the public to see.
A father has new questions surrounding the trial for the man who killed his son and claimed self-defense. Fouad Zeton questions whether video not shown during the trial for James Nero would have rendered a verdict other than acquittal based on the state’s 'Stand Your Ground’ Law.
A person who worked on the Hard Rock Hotel construction site in New Orleans, said the job was ‘rushed’ and there were warning signs ahead of the collapse on October 12 that killed three men and injured several more people.
State Senator Wesley Bishop is on paid leave from his position at Southern University at New Orleans following a charge filed against him in federal court.
Board members of the 9th Ward Field of Dreams tried to explain to alumni how nearly a million dollars was spent by the group with no field to show for it. However, the claims made by the board don’t line up with responses by the National Football League and Orleans Parish School Board.
State Senator Wesley Bishop has been charged by federal authorities for making a false statement to a federal agency.According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Bishop made a false statement to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Alumni of George Washington Carver High School gathered in New Orleans demanding answers to what happened to nearly a million dollars that was supposed to be used to build the school its own football stadium. In a series of reports entitled, Empty Field of Dreams, FOX 8 and The Athletic revealed the
The former Executive Director of the 9th Ward Field of Dreams continues to refuse to answer questions from WVUE-TV and The Athletic in response to our joint investigation, Empty Field of Dreams. Betty Washington, is, however, sounding off on social media calling the reports ‘lies.'
After several strange clues, a Michigan father questions whether his water filters are authentic. Experts say counterfeit filters are a growing problem in the United States.
Tens of thousands of dollars are still owed to several companies who did work in the planning stages of the 9th Ward Field of Dreams, a football stadium proposed for the 9th Ward of New Orleans. To date, little to no visible work has been done on the stadium’s proposed site.
On the Westbank, a field took shape thanks to one group's vision and fundraising efforts. They share how their project was able to be done and how some of their plans mirror those initially in place for the 9th Ward Field of Dreams.
A general contractor not affiliated with the 9th Ward Field of Dreams raises questions surrounding the contract and invoices for the 9th Ward Field of Dreams obtained by FOX 8 News and The Athletic.
Following Hurricane Katrina, a story of hope emerged in the form of a football stadium for Carver High School in the city's 9th Ward. A joint investigation by FOX 8 and The Athletic found what resulted fourteen years later is simply an empty field of dreams.
The Office of Disciplinary Counsel with the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board filed formal charges against Timothy David Ray for three possible violations of the Louisiana Rules of Professional Conduct, a set of rules that govern how attorneys should practice.
A subpoena obtained by FOX 8 shows the focus of a federal corruption investigation into State Senator Wesley Bishop, D-New Orleans, and his payroll records during his primary job as Vice-Chancellor at Southern University at New Orleans.
