@kjfernelius.bsky.social
Journalist in New Orleans with VeriteNews.org. Work in BBC World Service, The Guardian, Oxford American, The Nation, In These Times, The Assembly NC, The New Republic, INDY Week & elsewhere. 📧: kfernelius@veritenews.org 👩🏼💻: kjfernelius.com
And then we spoke to incumbent JP Morrell – asking him about what he hopes to accomplish in a second term, if elected, the difficulties of implementing a stormwater fee, and what it is about superheroes that he loves so much.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_RD...
Then, we switched races to the Division 2 seat. We spoke with Pastor Gregory Manning, who is challenging incumbent JP Morrell. We talked to Manning about why he chose to challenge a well-known name, utility regulation, and his background in theater (no, actually!).
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-xU...
We also talked to perennial candidate Matt Hill. You probably know him as the guy with the SWB logo inside a red "no" sign. He talked about his unique plan to break up Entergy New Orleans, his early childhood in El Salvador, and why he keeps running for office.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdO7...
We also talked to State Rep. Matt Willard, who is also running for the Division 1 seat on City Council. We discussed Sewerage and Water Board, potholes, and what it's like working with so many Republicans in Baton Rouge.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQJ1...
Here is our interview with State Rep. Delisha Boyd. Yes, we asked about that $39,000 her campaign paid to a firm she owns with her daughter. Also learned about why she's running for office, how she thinks about land use, and how her grandma helped change her life.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGXw...
The Mayor isn't the only city-wide office we vote for in New Orleans. We also vote for two City Council at-large seats. Yet those races have gotten considerably less attention this year. So, we decided to talk to candidates – and dig deeper into their platforms for @veritenews.org. Check 'em out!
09.10.2025 21:19 — 👍 6 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0“You get millions of dollars of funding & we are still faced with this sort of tragedy,“ she wrote in the caption. She did not immediately respond to my questions. Neither did Unity of Greater New Orleans, which is a collaborative that provides housing and services to the unhoused population.
09.10.2025 01:01 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Today, Sandra Green Thomas, the chief of staff for Cm Eugene Green, posted a distressing video on TikTok of what appears to be a deceased person outside Duncan Plaza, near City Hall. She blamed the opioid addiction crisis and also Unity of New Orleans.
09.10.2025 01:01 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Challengers look to unseat 3 City Council incumbents
JP Morrell, Freddie King and Eugene Green face competition in their reelection bids for New Orleans City Council.
This is what I’ve been reporting on for months. Agencies are taking money and repurposing it against Congressional instructions, and there’s no way to know what they are taking the money from or what they are using it for.
26.09.2025 14:05 — 👍 502 🔁 251 💬 13 📌 46
New Orleanians are being priced out of the city. Can the next assessor make a difference?
A progressive candidate is challenging longtime Orleans Parish Assessor Erroll Williams for the job.
There's a lot of good attention being paid to the mayoral race. But might I suggest you turn your attention down ballot to another critical citywide race, the assessor's race?
My latest feature for @veritenews.org –
veritenews.org/2025/09/26/n...
Many people asked and @veritenews.org delivered! Here's a feature the City Assessor's race, featuring:
- What the city assessor even does
- Why the race is important
- Where the top candidates stand on the issues
And more, brought to you by @kjfernelius.bsky.social!
veritenews.org/2025/09/26/n...
Incumbents don’t show at council forum on Entergy, Delta Utilities regulation
JP Morrell, the council utilities chair who is seeking reelection to his at-large seat, said he was concerned that one of the organizers was biased.
Rep. Delisha Boyd’s campaign paid her daughter while she also worked for an outside PAC
www.nola.com/gambit/news/...
Second-line clubs say NOPD parading requirements are confusing, restrictive
The enforcement crackdown comes shortly before the upcoming 2025-2026 second-line season. A City Council hearing on the issue is set for Thursday (Aug. 7).
Arthur Hunter and Royce Duplessis /think/ they are pulling a Brad Lander and Zohran Mamdani move... I'm not convinced that is what is actually happening though.
veritenews.org/2025/08/07/a...
Hear from the candidates: New Orleans City Council at-large
New Orleanians will get to cast three votes for the New Orleans City Council: one for who will represent their specific council district and two for at-large seats.
This week, hear from the major at-large candidates for New Orleans City Council. We asked them about affordability, utility regulation, zoning, and much more!
veritenews.org/guides/2025-...
Next week, we will share the questionnaires from the candidates for the five district seats.
This makes me very sad. My favorite OB/GYN in the city worked at Planned Parenthood. She gave me two IUDs over the years; both times, easy & painless.
Planned Parenthood has always been a safe, compassionate place for me & others to receive necessary healthcare.
www.nola.com/news/healthc...
Now that Topgolf deal is dead, where does River District stand?
River District developers say they’re moving ahead with plans for affordable housing, music museum and more.
This aspiring Louisiana pilot can’t fly with sickle cell disease. So he’s editing his genes.
Daniel Cressy will be the first patient in Louisiana to complete the gene therapy treatment for sickle cell disease.
The questionnaire responses by our candidates for Sheriff are now posted on the @veritenews.org election guide. I hope they are helpful for #NewOrleans voters in figuring out which candidate will earn their vote.
veritenews.org/guides/2025-...
NEW: We’ve documented nearly 50 incidents of immigration officers shattering car windows to make arrests — a tactic experts say was rarely used before Trump took office.
ICE claims officers use a “minimum amount of force.”
You can judge for yourself.
By @nicolefoy.bsky.social @mckenziefunk.com
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson faces five opponents. Here’s what the candidates had to say about how they would address the biggest challenges facing the Sheriff’s Office veritenews.org/guides/2025-...
31.07.2025 19:23 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0Fwiw, in my experience, the person in charge of comms likes to respond to some journalists' inquiries with a citywide press release. That approach has both alerted me to others' stories and vice versa.
31.07.2025 20:48 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Support local New Orleans alternative media before it's too late! For years Antigravity, WWOZ and WWNO have served us. Now, they need our help to stay afloat and continue to help our community grow, celebrate our culture and make New Orleans what it is
www.nola.com/gambit/comme...
Some interesting factoids from a presentation given by HousingNOLA at today's meeting of the Housing Trust Fund Advisory Committee. Puts a good punctuation point on our story about folks leaving imo.
31.07.2025 20:23 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Next week, we will be posting the questionnaires filled out by candidates for council. After that, we hope to publish answers from candidates for Clerk and Assessor... and if he ever gets back to me, Coroner Dwight McKenna.
31.07.2025 18:03 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
The questionnaire responses by our candidates for Sheriff are now posted on the @veritenews.org election guide. I hope they are helpful for #NewOrleans voters in figuring out which candidate will earn their vote.
veritenews.org/guides/2025-...
