From fb779cf55874b80018a12baed53f14d5dd2ea9bd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ayyub I <ayyub.ibrahimi@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2023 21:49:45 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 1/2] expanded on func that cleans news article titles

---
 .../backend/src/cache/faiss_index_general.dvc |  4 +-
 .../src/cache/faiss_index_in_depth.dvc        |  4 +-
 ...lars on housing and youth development.json |  9 +++++
 ...388 million in federal funds BGR says.json |  9 +++++
 ...rris over life - threatening failures.json |  9 +++++
 ...cts but advocates say more needed now.json |  9 +++++
 ...ergy New Orleans under new standards.json} |  2 +-
 ...demic relief aid A new debate begins.json} |  4 +-
 ...ionate comments and a heated exchange.json |  9 +++++
 ...er 3 Hours A judge defers the ruling.json} |  4 +-
 ...ing 50 Million vehicle - Buying spree.json |  2 +-
 ...ion nets Zero arrests in Nine Months.json} |  2 +-
 ... salt water in drinking water supply.json} |  4 +-
 ...ants to avoid more pitfalls BGR says.json} |  2 +-
 ... distribution in homeless encampments.json |  9 +++++
 ...ll vs city attorney A housing failure.json |  9 +++++
 ...mayor's consent decree hearing stance.json |  9 -----
 .../src/news_directory/failed_urls.log        |  3 ++
 ...ard s disposal over garbage failures.json} |  4 +-
 packages/external-data/src/__main__.py        | 26 +++++++++----
 packages/external-data/src/news_extractor.py  | 37 +++++++++++++++++--
 .../getanswer/cache/faiss_index_general.dvc   |  4 +-
 .../getanswer/cache/faiss_index_in_depth.dvc  |  4 +-
 23 files changed, 138 insertions(+), 40 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 packages/backend/src/news_directory/Advocates to city council Spend COVID aid surplus dollars on housing and youth development.json
 create mode 100644 packages/backend/src/news_directory/Cantrell administration should boost transparency on 388 million in federal funds BGR says.json
 create mode 100644 packages/backend/src/news_directory/City council questions 911 call center director tyrell morris over life - threatening failures.json
 create mode 100644 packages/backend/src/news_directory/Council approves 32 million for affordable housing projects but advocates say more needed now.json
 rename packages/backend/src/news_directory/{Frequent_outages_could_lead_to_big_fines_for_Entergy_New_Orleans_under_new_standards.json => Frequent outages could lead to big fines for Entergy New Orleans under new standards.json} (99%)
 rename packages/backend/src/news_directory/{How_should_New_Orleans_spend_the_millions_left_in_pandemic_relief_aid_A_new_debate_begins.json => How should new orleans spend the millions left in pandemic relief aid A new debate begins.json} (95%)
 create mode 100644 packages/backend/src/news_directory/Meeting on controversial new orleans jail project draws passionate comments and a heated exchange.json
 rename packages/backend/src/news_directory/{New_Orleans_argues_case_to_exit_NOPD_consent_decree._After_3_hours,_a_judge_defers_the_ruling..json => New Orleans argues case to exit Nopd consent decree After 3 Hours A judge defers the ruling.json} (95%)
 rename "packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_ignores_\342\200\230clean_fleet\342\200\231_law_during_$50_million_vehicle-buying_spree.json" => packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans ignores Clean fleet Law during 50 Million vehicle - Buying spree.json (99%)
 rename packages/backend/src/news_directory/{New_Orleans_police_use_of_facial_recognition_nets_zero_arrests_in_nine_months.json => New Orleans police use of facial recognition nets Zero arrests in Nine Months.json} (99%)
 rename packages/backend/src/news_directory/{New_Orleans_preparing_for_three_months_of_salt_water_in_drinking_water_supply.json => New Orleans preparing for Three Months of salt water in drinking water supply.json} (95%)
 rename packages/backend/src/news_directory/{New_Orleans_S&WB_needs_sweeping_changes_if_it_wants_to_avoid_more_pitfalls,_BGR_says.json => New orleans SWB needs sweeping changes if it wants to avoid more pitfalls BGR says.json} (99%)
 create mode 100644 packages/backend/src/news_directory/New orleans council tables plan to restrict food distribution in homeless encampments.json
 create mode 100644 packages/backend/src/news_directory/On politics SWB floats rolling forward tax rate JP morrell vs city attorney A housing failure.json
 delete mode 100644 packages/backend/src/news_directory/Some New Orleans City Council members voice concerns over mayor's consent decree hearing stance.json
 create mode 100644 packages/backend/src/news_directory/failed_urls.log
 rename packages/backend/src/news_directory/{No_excuses_Frustrated_council_members_press_Richards_Disposal_over_garbage_failures.json => no excuses Frustrated council members press richard s disposal over garbage failures.json} (77%)

diff --git a/packages/backend/src/cache/faiss_index_general.dvc b/packages/backend/src/cache/faiss_index_general.dvc
index d2d8fed2..7c3daa6d 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/cache/faiss_index_general.dvc
+++ b/packages/backend/src/cache/faiss_index_general.dvc
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 outs:
-- md5: f86af62933bae171911ae891560b2407.dir
-  size: 61663926
+- md5: 3d0395a2552ca129333a5a6251260ff3.dir
+  size: 62568138
   nfiles: 2
   hash: md5
   path: faiss_index_general
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/cache/faiss_index_in_depth.dvc b/packages/backend/src/cache/faiss_index_in_depth.dvc
index 83865e58..1ca9f13a 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/cache/faiss_index_in_depth.dvc
+++ b/packages/backend/src/cache/faiss_index_in_depth.dvc
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 outs:
-- md5: ed5520e1a6f903d4d38105dd3d9d034b.dir
-  size: 61663926
+- md5: 651eb311c09d94156e09308e18334113.dir
+  size: 62568138
   nfiles: 2
   hash: md5
   path: faiss_index_in_depth
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Advocates to city council Spend COVID aid surplus dollars on housing and youth development.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Advocates to city council Spend COVID aid surplus dollars on housing and youth development.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..314099cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Advocates to city council Spend COVID aid surplus dollars on housing and youth development.json	
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+{
+    "messages": [
+        {
+            "page_content": "Menu\nShow Search\nDonate\nNow Playing\nWWNO 89.9\nNews\nAdvocates to City Council: Spend COVID aid, surplus dollars on housing and youth development\nWWNO - New Orleans Public Radio | By Michelle Liu, Verite\nPublished April 4, 2023 at 4:15 PM CDT\nFacebook\nTwitter\nLinkedIn\nEmail\nCarly Berlin\n/\nWWNO\nNew Orleans City Hall\nWhat could New Orleans do with an extra $147 million?\nBuild 2,000 new affordable homes, essentially end homelessness in the city, fund development programs for opportunity youth, subsidize bus and streetcar fares, expand violence intervention services \u2014 and more, a group of nonprofit organizations told the City Council on Tuesday (April 4).\nThe city should spend some of the millions of dollars in federal pandemic aid sitting in city coffers on these investments, which are aimed at easing the structural problems atthe root of the city\u2019s struggle with violence and crime, community advocates said at a Tuesday budget meeting.\n\u201cWhen we\u2019re having conversations in New Orleans about what provides public safety and what creates public safety, it is these types of investments,\u201d said Will Snowden, director of the Vera Institute of Justice\u2019s New Orleans office, who presented the spending plan along with representatives from the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center and the New Orleans Workers\u2019 Center for Racial Justice.\nThe advocates\u2019 plan would direct $107 million to affordable housing initiatives, $20 million to youth development programming, $2 million to community violence prevention and $18 million to \u201ccommunity equity\u201d efforts such as supporting food banks and building a pilot program to make public transit fares free for riders.\nThe ambitious spending plan draws upon both the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, dollars and theswell of unspent surpluses sitting in the city\u2019s fund balance. Their presentation is part of the public process this spring to figure out how to use those one-time funds, including what\u2019s left of the $388 million in ARPA money received by the city \u2014 most of which remains virtually untouched.\nThe plan is a chance for local leaders to align city funding with their stated values, especially when it comes to affordable housing, said Maxwell Ciardullo with the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center.\nThe advocates say the $15 million they want the city to direct toward homelessness reduction initiatives would house the more than 400 people currently believed to be living on the streets. The plan would also direct $70 million for new development that could generate up to 2,000 additional permanently affordable units across low-poverty and gentrifying neighborhoods, along with $20 million toward forgivable loans for small landlords and low-income homeowners to repair health and safety violations and $2 million in one-time funds to support renters displaced by health and safety violations.\nNew Orleans is falling behind its peers, given that other cities across the South have already doled out dollars for affordable housing, Ciardullo said. Closer to home, Baton Rouge, which received $165 million in COVID-19 aid, has allocated spending toward gun violence reduction strategies, a modest number of planned affordable housing units, neighborhood revitalization and youth employment programs.\nCouncilmembers dug into specifics of some of the proposals. How would the city ensure that so-called \u201cslumlords\u201d wouldn\u2019t take advantage of a rental repair program for small landlords, Councilmember Lesli Harris asked. Could making city buses free help with the \u201cfraught\u201d busing situation for New Orleans charter school students, as Councilmember JP Morrell put it.\nCouncilmember Joe Giarrusso raised another potential use for the money not mentioned in the advocates\u2019 proposal: mortgage assistance for first-time homebuyers. \u201cThat\u2019s another piece we\u2019ve got to be looking at,\u201d Giarrusso said.\nTravis Hills, who lives at the homeless shelter on Gravier Street, gave a public comment to councilmembers following the presentation: \u201cFrom everything I hear, it sounds good,\u201d Hill said. \u201cJust show me the money.\u201d\nThe city has until the end of 2024 to decide how to use its leftover pandemic aid and the end of 2026 to actually spend it. The city technically used nearly all of its first round of ARPA dollars, totalling $194 million, to shore up departments amid anticipated revenue shortfalls in 2021 and 2022. However, due to higher-than-expected tax revenues and lower-than-expected expenses, it was able to save about the same amount and put the money in its reserve fund, which had grown to about $300 million by the beginning of this year. Of the second $194 million ARPA round, about $100 million has yet to be allocated.\nThe U.S. Treasury, which administers the funds, has encouraged local and state governments to spend the money on affordable housing, though governments can use their ARPA funds across four categories: replacing lost revenue, responding to public health and other pandemic impacts, offering premium pay for essential workers, and bulking up water, ewer and broadband infrastructure.\nHere\u2019s a breakdown of the groups\u2019 suggested spending plan for New Orleans:\nHousing: $70 million to build new affordable housing units, with another $37 million directed toward homelessness reduction initiatives ($15 million), forgivable loans for small landlords and low-income homeowners to repair health and safety violations ($20 million) and one-time funds to support renters displaced by health and safety violations ($2 million).\nYouth development: $20 million to support the Children Youth and Planning Board and fund programs for opportunity youth.\nCommunity violence prevention: $2 million to bolster the budget of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention.\nCommunity equity: $18 million across initiatives including a pilot program to make public transit free for riders ($5 million), cash assistance for some essential workers ($5.2 million) aiding food banks and expanding access to food assistance ($5 million), expanding the Office of Resilience and Sustainability ($2 million), an audit of contractor and subcontractors to ensure compliance with city labor laws ($500,000) and translation services for assorted city materials and City Council hearings ($500,000).\nThis article first appeared on Verite and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.\nTags\nNews City of New OrleansNew Orleans City Councilcity hallCOVID-19affordable housingpublic transportationyouth\nFacebook\nTwitter\nLinkedIn\nEmail\nMichelle Liu, Verite\nSee stories by Michelle Liu, Verite\n\ud83d\udc4b Looks like you could use more news. Sign up for our newsletters.\n* indicates required\nEmail Address *\nFirst Name\nLast Name\nNew Orleans Public Radio News\nDaily News\nWeekly News\nCoastal Desk\nNew Orleans Public Radio Info\nStation news\n\u00a9 2023 WWNO\nTerms of Use\nCommunity Discussion Rules\nPublic Information\nPublic Service Announcements\nPrivacy\nAbout\nContact\nCareers & Volunteers",
+            "url": "https://www.wwno.org/news/2023-04-04/advocates-to-city-council-spend-covid-aid-surplus-dollars-on-housing-and-youth-development",
+            "title": "Advocates to city council Spend COVID aid surplus dollars on housing and youth development"
+        }
+    ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Cantrell administration should boost transparency on 388 million in federal funds BGR says.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Cantrell administration should boost transparency on 388 million in federal funds BGR says.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..62785638
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Cantrell administration should boost transparency on 388 million in federal funds BGR says.json	
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+{
+    "messages": [
+        {
+            "page_content": "Skip to main content\nHomes\nCalendar\nStore\nPublic Notices\nE-Edition\nNewsletters\nSubscribe for $1\nCantrell administration should boost transparency on $388 million in federal funds, BGR says\nBY MATT SLEDGE | Staff writer\nDec 18, 2022\n4 min to read\n1 of 8\nMayor LaToya Cantrell answers questions during the Community Budget Meeting at Lakeview Christian Center in New Orleans, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)\nSophia Germer\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nWhen the New Orleans City Council passed a massive, $262 million amendment to the 2023 budget in the waning hours before a Dec. 1 deadline, local activists were surprised.\nThere\u2019d been no formal notice that Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the council had hammered out a deal to tap hundreds of millions of dollars in federal pandemic relief funds and other money, said Maxwell Ciardullo, the spokesperson for the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center.\n\u201cEveryone was totally caught off guard,\u201d Ciardullo said.\nNow, organizers are preparing for another debate early next year over how to use the rest of the city\u2019s one-time funds.\nWhen that happens, the Cantrell administration should open the curtain on how it is spending American Rescue Plan Act funds and a huge general fund balance, the Bureau of Governmental Research said in a report this week.\nThat report faults the administration for a lack of transparency thus far. But it also notes that there is time for a course correction given the huge sums yet to be spent.\nA growing surplus\nWhen the pandemic walloped the city\u2019s tourism industry in 2020, the Cantrell administration prepared for a downturn in sales and hotel taxes for years to come. The city planned employee furloughs in 2021 that would save $26 million, plus another $92 million in general budget cuts, according to the BGR report.\nHowever, in March 2021, the U.S. Congress passed into law the American Rescue Plan Act, which was designed to provide a lifeline to local governments. Suddenly, New Orleans was in line to receive $388 million in federal funds in two installments.\nThe federal law placed some limits on how local governments could spend the money. The city plugged $187 million from the first installment into the police and fire departments, freeing up general fund dollars that would have been spent there as the city saw fit.\nThat didn\u2019t violate federal law. But the fact that the city only explained how it was using the money on the front end in an online dashboard, the Bureau of Governmental Research said, \u201cdoes not provide the public with the information necessary to understand ARPA\u2019s real impact on funding for other departments or the city\u2019s finances.\"\nMayor LaToya Cantrell answers questions during the Community Budget Meeting at Lakeview Christian Center in New Orleans, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2022. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)\nSophia Germer\nIn addition to the federal aid, another factor bulked up the city\u2019s bank account. Hundreds of unfilled positions, many in the New Orleans Police Department, contributed to a huge balance of leftover funds at the end of 2021. In total, the city spent $532 million in 2021, $100 million short of its trimmed-down budget.\nThe BGR report found that even without the federal funds, last year the city would have been able to meet all of its expenses while generating a $25 million surplus. In effect, the federal relief dollars helped grow the city's fund balance.\nThe Cantrell administration has portrayed its conservative budgeting as a prudent response to the uncertainty of the pandemic. Even after Congress passed ARPA it warned of budget shortfalls lasting into 2025. It has also said that the savings have allowed it to sock money into a much-needed rainy-day fund. Yet the drop in spending coincided with widespread complaints about the quality of municipal services.\nRebecca Mowbray, the president and CEO of BGR, said the group didn\u2019t try to determine how the two factors were related.\n\u201cOur task here really was just to follow the money and see where it went. We didn\u2019t so much make judgments about how they were spending it,\u201d she said.\nSpending the pot\nThis summer, the federal government sent the city its second, $194 million block of pandemic relief funds. Heading into the November budget season, Cantrell held a series of town halls.\nIn some settings, Cantrell didn't typically distinguish between sources of funds and the timing of City Council votes. But administration officials also stated that the city would allocate general funds through the ordinary budget process before turning to the federal dollars.\nInstead, the Cantrell administration and the City Council passed the last-minute amendments to the mayor\u2019s proposed budget that caught organizers off-guard. Those amendments allocated $124 million in ARPA funds and $151 million in fund balance dollars, according to BGR.\n\u201cUltimately, they went ahead and passed everything all at once, not really giving citizens the opportunity to know the details,\u201d said Susie Dudis, a BGR research analyst.\nIn a statement, a city spokesperson pushed back at the idea that there wasn\u2019t advance notice, pointing to the town halls and budget hearings. John Lawson, the spokesperson, said the amendment included priorities that had emerged as consensus priorities, like fighting crime and blight.\n\u201cThe first set of appropriations invested in projects and initiatives in response to what we heard from the public as core/vital basic needs,\u201d said Lawson.\nGilbert Monta\u00f1o, bottom center, chief administrative officer for New Orleans, talks about the details of Mayor LaToya Cantrell's 2023 operating budget to the New Orleans City Council on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 at City Hall. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)\nSTAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER\nThe budget amendment, unlike previous appropriations, sends the federal relief funds to specific departments rather than flowing it through police and fire. But even with that added level of detail, BGR\u2019s report faulted the administration for falling short on transparency.\nA $5 million outlay for \u201cunhoused populations,\u201d for example, was described in an internal memo as going to a \u201cfull-time staff member and consulting team to develop a comprehensive program to support unhoused populations in the city.\u201d\nThe BGR, Dudis said, is \u201choping we will see more of the actual plan details... their time frame, what are the objectives, what is the population of people being served. That, we don\u2019t have at this point.\u201d\nMoney in the bank\nDistrict A Council member Joe Giarrusso, the chair of the City Council budget committee, agreed with the Cantrell administration that the budget amendments reflected a broad consensus. But he also agreed with BGR that the city and council could have done a better job of communicating how they planned to allocate ARPA funds.\nThe issues raised in the BGR report, he said, pointed to the larger problem of compressing complex budget discussions into November. He favors expanding budget season to include October.\nGiarrusso said he expects to hold hearings on how to spend the remainder of one-time dollars from ARPA and the fund balance in January and February. That amounts to about $70 million in federal dollars plus at least as many fund-balance dollars, he\u2019s said previously.\nCiardullo and other activists are pushing for the city to spend the money on a wide variety of needs. His group\u2019s priority is up to $90 million to tackle what he called \u201ca tremendous shortage of affordable rental housing.\u201d\nGiarrusso said that under a new approach he is pioneering next year, there will also be quarterly hearings on how the city is spending its money. The Cantrell administration said that it will also be expanding an online dashboard in early 2023 to include spending outcomes and the use of fund balance dollars.\nEmail Matt Sledge at msledge@theadvocate.com.\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nThis Day in History\nSponsored by Connatix\nRecommended for you\nRecommended by\nSECTIONS\nHOME\nNEWS\nOPINION\nSPORTS\nENTERTAINMENT/LIFE\nNEWSLETTERS\nGAMES\nSERVICES\nCLASSIFIEDS\nSEARCH\nSUBSCRIBE | GROUPS\nDIGITAL ADVERTISING\nHELP/CONTACT US\nRSS FEEDS\nMEDIA KIT\nEEDITION\nCAREERS\nTEACHER'S LINK\nREVIEWING THE RECORD\nOUR SITES\nOBITUARIES\nJOBS\nCELEBRATIONS\nNIE\nCLASSIFIEDS\nHOMES\nPETS\nARCHIVES\nSTORE\nCONTACT INFORMATION\nnola.com\n840 St. Charles Avenue\nNew Orleans, LA 70130\nPhone: 504-529-0522\n\nNews Tips:\nnolanewstips@theadvocate.com\nOther questions:\nsubscriberservices@theadvocate.com\nNeed help?\nReport a delivery issue\nCreate a temporary stop\nSign up for recurring payments\nPay your bill\nUpdate your billing info\n\n\u00a9 Copyright 2023 NOLA.com 840 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA  | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy\nPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.\n  This website stores data such as cookies to enable essential website functionality, marketing, personalization and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. See updated terms and conditions.",
+            "url": "https://www.nola.com/news/politics/cantrell-administration-should-boost-transparency-on-388-million-in-federal-funds-bgr-says/article_6b591a1a-7d7c-11ed-b58f-0371d99e2538.html",
+            "title": "Cantrell administration should boost transparency on 388 million in federal funds BGR says"
+        }
+    ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/City council questions 911 call center director tyrell morris over life - threatening failures.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/City council questions 911 call center director tyrell morris over life - threatening failures.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6f6e6f7c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/City council questions 911 call center director tyrell morris over life - threatening failures.json	
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+{
+    "messages": [
+        {
+            "page_content": "Skip to content\n67\u00b0\nNew Orleans, LA\nNews\nLive\nVideo\nHurricane Center\nSaltwater Intrusion\nCity Council questions 911 call center director Tyrell Morris over life-threatening failures\nUpdated: Mar. 14, 2023 at 9:00 PM CDT\nShare on FacebookEmail This LinkShare on TwitterShare on PinterestShare on LinkedIn\nDEMUXER_ERROR_NO_SUPPORTED_STREAMS: FFmpegDemuxer: no supported streams\nCRIMETRACKER\nAttorneys demand independent DNA testing for woman accused of killing Bella Fontenelle\nUpdated: 8 hours ago\nLSU FOOTBALL\nGarland Gillen recaps a winning weekend for LSU and Tulane\nUpdated: 10 hours ago\nSAINTS\nSean Fazende recaps a sloppy Saints in Houston\nUpdated: 11 hours ago\nNEWS\nFamily begs for help in recovering missing river worker\nUpdated: 22 hours ago\nNEWS\nBipartisan US Senate Delegation takes shelter in Tel Aviv amid rocket fire\nUpdated: 22 hours ago\nNEWS\nGov. Edwards offers congratulations to Gov.-elect Jeff Landry\nUpdated: 22 hours ago\nNews\nLive\nWeather\nSports\nInvestigations\nEspa\u00f1ol\nNOLA Weekend\nWVUE\n1025 S. Norman C. Francis Pkwy.\nNew Orleans, LA 70125\n(504) 486-6161\nPublic Inspection File\nPUBLICFILE@FOX8LIVE.COM - (504) 486-6161\nTerms of Service\nPrivacy Policy\nEEO Statement\nFCC Applications\nAdvertising\nDigital Advertising\nClosed Captioning/Audio Description\nAt Gray, our journalists report, write, edit and produce the news content that informs the communities we serve. Click here to learn more about our approach to artificial intelligence.\nA Gray Media Group, Inc. Station - \u00a9 2002-2023 Gray Television, Inc.",
+            "url": "https://www.fox8live.com/video/2023/03/15/city-council-questions-911-call-center-director-tyrell-morris-over-life-threatening-failures/",
+            "title": "City council questions 911 call center director tyrell morris over life - threatening failures"
+        }
+    ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Council approves 32 million for affordable housing projects but advocates say more needed now.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Council approves 32 million for affordable housing projects but advocates say more needed now.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2b0d37b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Council approves 32 million for affordable housing projects but advocates say more needed now.json	
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+{
+    "messages": [
+        {
+            "page_content": "News\nWeather\nSports\nVERIFY\nSearch\nRIGHT NOW\nNew Orleans, LA \u00bb\n65\u00b0\nADVERTISE WITH US\nWWL+\nRADAR\nHURRICANE CENTER\nAPP\nMORNINGS\nLOUISIANA MADE\nGAS PRICES\nTRAFFIC\nYOUTUBE\nLINKS\nFOOD\nELECTION RESULTS\nINVESTIGATIONS\nCONTESTS\nGREAT DAY\nA+ ATHLETES\nORLEANS\nCouncil approves $32 million for affordable housing projects but advocates say more needed now\nSome housing advocates feel something needs to be done to help residents today, not years down the line.\nAuthor: Leigha McNeil\nPublished: 12:28 PM CDT June 9, 2023\nUpdated: 12:28 PM CDT June 9, 2023\nNEW ORLEANS \u2014 Accessibility to affordable housing has been an ongoing issue across the country. Here at home, the New Orleans city council is making moves to fix that issue. At a council meeting at the end of May, the council allocated a $32 million for a gap fun to support affordable housing development.\nDistrict B Council Member Lesli Harris said, \"I'm very excited about it.\"\nThat fund largely supported by the American Rescue Plan Act, is called the Affordable Workforce Housing Gap Financing Fund. The money will act as a gap or buffer funding for developers who are actively working on affordable housing projects across the city.\nHarris said, \"These are 14 existing projects that are in the pipeline that have experienced shortages because of construction coast, insurance costs.\"\nHer goal now is to secure some sort of long-term funding for the fund so a long-term investment in affordable housing is secured.\n\"I think that in the future, we need to be looking at other sources of funding so that we have an evergreen pot of money that can assist with gap funding,\" Harris said.\nHowever, some housing advocates feel something needs to be done to help residents today, not years down the line.\nAndreanecia Morris, the Executive Director of Housing NOLA said, \"They are missing too many opportunities to put the people of New Orleans first.\"\nWhile Morris applauds the gap fund, she said the city is looking far ahead and not looking at what can be done today to ease the housing crisis. Morris said the most recent example of this this the council's failure to move the Healthy Homes Ordnance forward at a recent council meeting.\n\"They take a step forward, while simultaneously taking several steps back,\" Morris said. \"Before they voted to delay it, they actually gutted it. So that was something that would set the standard, set accountability standards for most of the people who live in New Orleans, but they decided not to do this. They decided not to do this in a meaningful and impactful way. We need policy, that means our leaders taking demonstrable ineffective action.\"\nOne suggestion according to Morris would be city support for local landlords and property owners. She believes this could help get 20% of the homes currently vacant in the city get back up and running.\nEscape the T-Mobile Price Hike: How to Opt Out of Expensive Plans! (Don\u2019t Pay More)\nFEATURED BY\nIn a statement Harris said, \"I support Cm. Morrell's continued work on the Healthy Homes ordinance, and we are further than ever before. I want to highlight that today's meeting represented a big win for affordable housing in New Orleans.  The council approved a contract to retain a national expert on addressing homelessness, installed a temporary ban on new commercial STRs, passed a motion to incentivize affordable homeownership development, and introduced anti-retaliation legislation that protects renters who report code violations.\"\nHarris said the council is looking at multi layered solutions from every angle.\n\"We're looking at blighted properties, coming up with solutions to stop chronic homelessness, all of this is a very holistic thing that we really need to address but this council is really committed to the creation of more affordable housing,\" said Harris.\nRelated Articles\nJefferson Parish says it is trying to help homeless get off the street\nJefferson Parish, NOLA homelessness crisis intensifying post-pandemic\nCVS Hates When You Get 87\u00a2 ED Meds, But They Can\u2019t Stop You\nPublic Health Forum by Friday Plans\n|\nSponsored\nLouisiana Seniors Are Getting 250k Insurance For As Little as $12/month (See Prices)\nLife Insurance\n|\nSponsored\n21 Gutter Guards Put to the Test: See What Roofers Found\nThe Actual Cost of Gutter Guards In 2023 May Surprise You\nLeafFilter Partner\n|\nSponsored\nLearn More\nHere Is The Average Cost Of Veterinarians In Metairie\nBadlands Ranch\n|\nSponsored\nLearn More\nWhy Rob Gronkowski Chooses These Hybrid Shoes\nShoes Much More Comfortable Than Traditional Dress Shoes. Italian Leather and Running Shoe Technology Providing First Class Comfort All Day Long.\nWolf & Shepherd\n|\nSponsored\nLearn More\nSeniors Are Getting $275/month Grocery Benefit - Only If You Live In These Zip Codes \nSenior Grocery Benefit\n|\nSponsored\nHair falling out, rashes for swimmers at N.O. East pool\nWWLTV\nMom said her son was taken; Police say she and her boyfriend killed him and dumped him in trash\nWWLTV\nLOADING NEXT ARTICLE...\nBefore You Leave, Check This Out\nMom accused of killing 2-year-old son sought to have evidence kept out of trial\nVideo: Former Scuttlebutt\u2019s Gentleman\u2019s Club in Slidell damaged by fire\nForecast: Saints offense is like a clogged toilet\nBrheanna Boudreaux \u2013 Morning News Anchor\nBrandon Walker \u2013 Morning News Anchor\nWhat they're saying nationally about the Saints' 20-13 loss to the Texans in Week 6\nResults for Louisiana's primary election are here, numbers show low voter turnout\nAP Top 25: LSU climbs 3 spots, Tulane re-enters at No. 23\nDoug Mouton: Perhaps Saints sold \"fool's gold\" in last week's win over Patriots\nJobs\nTerms of Service\nPrivacy Policy\nAd Choices\nEEO Public File Report\nFCC Online Public Inspection File\nClosed Caption Procedures\nDo Not Sell or Share My Personal Information\n\u00a9 2023 WWL-TV. All Rights Reserved.",
+            "url": "https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/orleans/new-orleans-affordable-housing-city-council-32-million/289-7516fd45-2562-4414-94eb-2c46e810515c",
+            "title": "Council approves 32 million for affordable housing projects but advocates say more needed now"
+        }
+    ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Frequent_outages_could_lead_to_big_fines_for_Entergy_New_Orleans_under_new_standards.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Frequent outages could lead to big fines for Entergy New Orleans under new standards.json
similarity index 99%
rename from packages/backend/src/news_directory/Frequent_outages_could_lead_to_big_fines_for_Entergy_New_Orleans_under_new_standards.json
rename to packages/backend/src/news_directory/Frequent outages could lead to big fines for Entergy New Orleans under new standards.json
index 72eb088c..f6d7d911 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Frequent_outages_could_lead_to_big_fines_for_Entergy_New_Orleans_under_new_standards.json
+++ b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Frequent outages could lead to big fines for Entergy New Orleans under new standards.json	
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
         {
             "page_content": "HOME\nABOUT\nSUBSCRIBE\nDONATE\nELECTION 2023\nGOVT + POLITICS\nENVIRONMENT\nHEALTH\nCRIMINAL JUSTICE\nEDUCATION\nBUSINESS + LABOR\nGOVT + POLITICS\nWEATHER\nFrequent outages could lead to big fines for Entergy New Orleans under new standards\nBY: MICHAEL ISAAC STEIN, VERITE - FEBRUARY 18, 2023 10:00 AM\nEntergy\u2019s New Orleans Power Station. (Photo by Julie Dermansky)\nThe New Orleans City Council established a new set of reliability standards Thursday for Entergy New Orleans that could lead to fines up to $3.7 million per year if the number of annual blackouts exceeds those standards. The council is the regulator of Entergy New Orleans.\n\u201cEntergy New Orleans must meet our standards or owe the people of New Orleans, their customers, millions of dollars in fines,\u201d Councilwoman Helena Moreno said at a utility committee meeting this month. \u201cI believe we\u2019re one of the only regulators in the southern region that\u2019s set up these types of reliability standards.\u201d\nThe council hopes the new standards will finally allow it to collect a $1 million fine it imposed on Entergy in 2019 over frequent outages. The fine was levied after a council investigation found that the grid\u2019s reliability fell sharply shortly after the company cut millions of dollars from its budget to maintain it.\nEntergy challenged the fine in court, arguing it was unfair because the council hadn\u2019t established reliability standards. An Orleans Parish Civil District Court judge ruled in Entergy\u2019s favor in June.\nMoreno\u2019s chief of staff Andrew Tuozzolo told Verite that the council\u2019s plan was now to re-levy the $1 million fine, in the hopes that the new reliability standards will make it easier to defend in court.\nThe new standards only apply to \u201cfair-weather day\u201d outages, and exclude outages caused by major events like hurricanes. The council is currently conducting a separate process to create new rules and improvement plans for the grid\u2019s storm resilience.\nWhile hurricane-related outages are a well-known and deadly occurrence in New Orleans, the city has also struggled for years with frequent outages on sunny days. In fact, the process to pass these new rules began in 2017, when complaints grew about the number of blackouts happening on clear days, when the grid should have been operating normally.\nIn 2019, a council investigation found that Entergy failed in its responsibility to maintain an adequate grid. It found the city experienced 2,599 outages between June 1, 2016 and May 31, 2017 alone, the majority of which occurred on fair weather days. The report said the main cause of the outages were equipment failures in the local distribution grid \u2014 the poles and lines that run down every street and deliver electricity directly to buildings.\nThe investigation also found that the grid\u2019s reliability started to fall shortly after Entergy New Orleans made multi-million dollar cuts to investing in distribution system maintenance and improvement. That investigation led to the council\u2019s decision to fine Entergy $1 million.\nUnder the measure passed Thursday, Entergy will have three new reliability standards that could lead to the fine.\nThe first standard is how many fair weather outages New Orleans customers face each year. That\u2019s based on an industry standard called the system average interruption frequency index (SAIFI). The minimum SAIFI established by the council is 1.53 \u2014 meaning that a customer in New Orleans should experience, on average, 1.53 outages per year. The exact fine depends on how off that mark Entergy was in a given year, with a maximum penalty of $2.7 million.\nSUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST.\nDONATE\nThe second standard is about the duration of fair weather outages every year, based on the system average interruption duration index (SAIDI). The maximum baseline SAIDI score for Entergy was set at 178.2, meaning New Orleans customers on average would experience 178.2 minutes \u2014 roughly three hours \u2014 of outages each year. Entergy could face an annual fine of $500,000 for failing to achieve that.\nThe last standard could lead to fines up to $500,000 if Entergy fails to adequately improve the grid\u2019s worst performing feeders \u2014 a piece of equipment in the distribution system that has been blamed for outages in the past.\nThe council\u2019s ordinance notes that under the newly established fine schedule, Entergy\u2019s poor reliability in 2016 and 2017 \u2014 for which the council originally levied a $1 million fine \u2014 would have resulted in a fine of almost the exact same amount \u2014 $1,005,000.\nRepresentatives of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, which advocates on behalf of customers,  applauded the move. But they also said they believe the council should go farther and use these new standards as a starting point.\n\u201cWe\u2019re certainly supportive of having them in place, but we\u2019d like to note this is merely a first step,\u201d Alliance policy director Jesse George said at the utility meeting this month. \u201cWe encourage the council to continue making these standards more stringent over time.\u201d\nThe council\u2019s utility advisers noted that from 2013 through 2021, Entergy New Orleans would have only run afoul of the new standards in two years, 2016 and 2017.\n\u201cI think if you ask the average New Orleanian whether their electric service was reliable over the last five years they would probably say no,\u201d George said in a recent Facebook video.\nMoreno said during the committee meeting that because of pressure from the council, Entergy New Orleans had improved its reliability.\n\u201cTheir reliability is definitely not perfect, but it has improved due to insistence from the City Council,\u201d Moreno said. \u201cEntergy New Orleans has now increased its reliability performance to just above the national average. This is progress, but we are certainly far from done.\u201d\nEntergy did not respond to a request for comment.\nThis article first appeared on Verite and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.\nREPUBLISH\nOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.\nMICHAEL ISAAC STEIN, VERITE\nBefore joining Verite, Michael Isaac Stein spent five years as an investigative reporter at The Lens, a nonprofit New Orleans news publication, covering local government, housing and labor issues. Before working at The Lens, Stein was a reporter for WWNO New Orleans Public Radio and freelanced for various national publications including The Intercept, The New Republic and Bloomberg\u2019s CityLab. He holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from the University of Michigan\u2019s Ford School of Public Policy.\nMORE FROM AUTHOR\nRELATED NEWS\nEntergy threatens \u2018expensive litigation\u2019 over $1 million\u2026\nBY MICHAEL ISAAC STEIN, VERITE\nMay 13, 2023\nAfter strain from another winter storm, experts say it\u2019s\u2026\nBY ROBERT ZULLO\nDecember 31, 2022\nSHINING A LIGHT ON THE BAYOU STATE\nDemocracy Toolkit //\nRegister to vote\n|\nFind your voting precinct\n|\nBecome an election worker\n|\nConduct a voter registration drive\n|\nContact your state and federal lawmakers\nABOUT US\nThe Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization with a mission to cast light on how decisions in Baton Rouge are made and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians. Our in-depth investigations and news stories, news briefs and commentary help residents make sense of how state policies help or hurt them and their neighbors statewide.\nOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site.\nDEIJ Policy | Ethics Policy | Privacy Policy\n\u00a9 Louisiana Illuminator, 2023",
             "url": "https://lailluminator.com/2023/02/18/frequent-outages-could-lead-to-big-fines-for-entergy-new-orleans-under-new-standards/",
-            "title": "Frequent outages could lead to big fines for Entergy New Orleans under new standards"
+            "title": "Frequent outages could lead to big fines for entergy new orleans under new standards"
         }
     ]
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/How_should_New_Orleans_spend_the_millions_left_in_pandemic_relief_aid_A_new_debate_begins.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/How should new orleans spend the millions left in pandemic relief aid A new debate begins.json
similarity index 95%
rename from packages/backend/src/news_directory/How_should_New_Orleans_spend_the_millions_left_in_pandemic_relief_aid_A_new_debate_begins.json
rename to packages/backend/src/news_directory/How should new orleans spend the millions left in pandemic relief aid A new debate begins.json
index 298ddd62..3bf36dd0 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/How_should_New_Orleans_spend_the_millions_left_in_pandemic_relief_aid_A_new_debate_begins.json
+++ b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/How should new orleans spend the millions left in pandemic relief aid A new debate begins.json	
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 {
     "messages": [
         {
-            "page_content": "Skip to main content\nHomes\nCalendar\nStore\nPublic Notices\nE-Edition\nNewsletters\nSubscribe for $1\nHow should New Orleans spend the millions left in pandemic relief aid? A new debate begins\nBY MATT SLEDGE | Staff writer\nApr 4, 2023\n3 min to read\n1 of 2\nPeople who live on the streets are fed a hot meal in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022.\nSTAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nSolutions for crime and homelessness would claim tens of millions of the city\u2019s remaining federal relief dollars under a plan unveiled by Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration on Tuesday, while progressive groups made a much larger pitch that would also call for the use of money from the general fund.\nIn the city\u2019s vision, the New Orleans Health Department would quarterback programs designed to prevent violence, such as mental health services for school children and a rejuvenated street team of violence \u201cinterrupters.\u201d\nAlong with a $10 million plan targeting homelessness, the plan would use $38.4 million of the remaining $53.6 million in pandemic relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.\nA coalition of progressive groups, by contrast, told the City Council that the city\u2019s one-time spending should rise much higher. They proposed a $147 million package, including $107 million for housing, that would also draw from a growing pot of unspent general fund dollars.\nThe council members who will have the final say sounded receptive notes but didn\u2019t make firm commitments. Next week, they will hear from the city\u2019s chief administrative officer, Gilbert Monta\u00f1o, who prefers keeping more money socked away.\nThe debate that will play out in the coming weeks is in many ways a repeat of the 2023 budget process, which culminated in a last-minute, $262 million amendment to use one-time funds. Advocates said they were caught off guard in December, and this time around, they\u2019re keen to make their voices heard.\n\u201cNow the question is, how do you reconcile what the city wants to do with the (relief) money with what we heard today from advocacy groups and from people interested in how that money is spent?\u201d said City Council member Joe Giarrusso, who chairs the budget committee.\nCity plan\nThe late-breaking budget amendment last year aimed lots of one-time money at the most urgent issue for many voters -- violent crime. Big spends included $22.5 million for police recruitment and retention, $30 million for new criminal justice software and $4.9 million for juvenile probation and parole.\nBut some advocates complained that far too many of those funds were directed at punitive measures instead of social services. The Cantrell administration is now proposing a package aimed at preventing and interrupting violence through non-policing measures.\nThe city\u2019s plan includes $10 million for a joint program between NOLA Public Schools and Children\u2019s Hospital to place mental health professionals, case managers and expanded services in the \u201chighest risk\u201d schools where kids need help to address trauma. Separately, the school system would partner with the city's Office of Workforce Development for an $8.1 million program to put at-risk high schoolers on career paths.\nMayor LaToya Cantrell and Dr. Jennifer Avegno, pictured in 2020 \nPHOTO BY MAX BECHERER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE/NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE\nOther expenditures would include $500,000 for a rebooted violence interruption street team, $1 million for a blight remediation partnership between Tulane public health researchers and city code enforcement, $2.5 million for pocket parks, $5 million for financial assistance programs and $1 million for food security programs.\nThe city\u2019s package is designed to put a \u201cdown payment\u201d on projects that have been proven to reduce crime, said Dr. Jennifer Avegno, health department director. The City Council in January passed a motion mandating that her department create a violence reduction program.\n\u201cIf you don\u2019t make significant investments in the root causes of crime and violence \u2013 and certainly, from the public health perspective, shootings and killings, which are a major cause of mortality in this city \u2013 then you\u2019re not getting a lot for your money,\u201d she said.\nSeparately, the city would spend $10 million on reducing homelessness.\nThe city\u2019s proposals draw only from American Rescue Plan Act funds. However, advocates note that the city also has a growing pot of unspent general fund dollars \u2013 pegged at $274 million in a recent city report.\nCAO Gilbert Montano, right \nPHOTO BY BRETT DUKE / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE\nMonta\u00f1o said that number represents an unaudited point-in-time figure. He acknowledged that the city\u2019s fund balance is \u201csizable\u201d but said he wants to keep a healthy reserve in place for emergencies and economic downturns.\n\u201cIf we don\u2019t protect the city for the future, then I don't think we\u2019re being good stewards,\u201d he said.\nAdvocates\u2019 plan\nThe community groups pitching the council on Tuesday proposed a much more aggressive spending plan. They said it would be a mistake to continue using the federal pandemic relief dollars to build up the city\u2019s fund balance.\nPresenters from the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center, New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice and the Vera Institute said they had contacted dozens of community groups for input and conducted their own vetting project to come up with a wish-list of mostly existing projects that could benefit from infusions of one-time cash.\nThe top item on that list was $107 million for housing, including $70 million for the construction of affordable rental housing, $15 million for reducing street homelessness and $10 million for the renovation of existing but substandard rental units.\nOther proposals include a $20 million investment in youth development through community organizations and $18 million for \"community equity\" projects including $5 million for free public transit fares, $5 million for food banks and food producers, and $5.2 million in direct cash assistance for people who were left out of earlier rounds of government assistance during the pandemic.\nWill Snowden, director of Vera Institute of Justice's New Orleans office\nPROVIDED PHOTO\nWhile last year\u2019s budget appropriated tens of millions to agencies that respond to crime, Will Snowden, the director of the Vera Institute in New Orleans, said it was time to pivot to addressing root causes. He saw the groups\u2019 proposal as a floor, rather than a ceiling.\n\u201cThere can be more. When we\u2019re having conversations in New Orleans about what provides public safety and what creates public safety, it is these kinds of investments,\u201d he said.\nEmail Matt Sledge at msledge@theadvocate.com.\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nCity ARPA plan\nCity of New Orleans Apr 5, 2023\nMORE INFORMATION\nThe Nightly Top 5: Catch up on today's top stories\nDebate continues over how New Orleans should spend millions in pandemic relief aid, S&WB walks back its threat to cut water to tenants wit\u2026\nTags\nHardwall\nThis Day in History\nSponsored by Connatix\nRecommended for you\nRecommended by\nSECTIONS\nHOME\nNEWS\nOPINION\nSPORTS\nENTERTAINMENT/LIFE\nNEWSLETTERS\nGAMES\nSERVICES\nCLASSIFIEDS\nSEARCH\nSUBSCRIBE | GROUPS\nDIGITAL ADVERTISING\nHELP/CONTACT US\nRSS FEEDS\nMEDIA KIT\nEEDITION\nCAREERS\nTEACHER'S LINK\nREVIEWING THE RECORD\nOUR SITES\nOBITUARIES\nJOBS\nCELEBRATIONS\nNIE\nCLASSIFIEDS\nHOMES\nPETS\nARCHIVES\nSTORE\nCONTACT INFORMATION\nnola.com\n840 St. Charles Avenue\nNew Orleans, LA 70130\nPhone: 504-529-0522\n\nNews Tips:\nnolanewstips@theadvocate.com\nOther questions:\nsubscriberservices@theadvocate.com\nNeed help?\nReport a delivery issue\nCreate a temporary stop\nSign up for recurring payments\nPay your bill\nUpdate your billing info\n\n\u00a9 Copyright 2023 NOLA.com 840 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA  | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy\nPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.\n  This website stores data such as cookies to enable essential website functionality, marketing, personalization and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. See updated terms and conditions.",
+            "page_content": "Skip to main content\nHomes\nCalendar\nStore\nPublic Notices\nE-Edition\nNewsletters\nSubscribe for $1\nHow should New Orleans spend the millions left in pandemic relief aid? A new debate begins\nBY MATT SLEDGE | Staff writer\nApr 4, 2023\n3 min to read\n1 of 2\nPeople who live on the streets are fed a hot meal in New Orleans, Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022.\nSTAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nSolutions for crime and homelessness would claim tens of millions of the city\u2019s remaining federal relief dollars under a plan unveiled by Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration on Tuesday, while progressive groups made a much larger pitch that would also call for the use of money from the general fund.\nIn the city\u2019s vision, the New Orleans Health Department would quarterback programs designed to prevent violence, such as mental health services for school children and a rejuvenated street team of violence \u201cinterrupters.\u201d\nAlong with a $10 million plan targeting homelessness, the plan would use $38.4 million of the remaining $53.6 million in pandemic relief funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.\nA coalition of progressive groups, by contrast, told the City Council that the city\u2019s one-time spending should rise much higher. They proposed a $147 million package, including $107 million for housing, that would also draw from a growing pot of unspent general fund dollars.\nThe council members who will have the final say sounded receptive notes but didn\u2019t make firm commitments. Next week, they will hear from the city\u2019s chief administrative officer, Gilbert Monta\u00f1o, who prefers keeping more money socked away.\nThe debate that will play out in the coming weeks is in many ways a repeat of the 2023 budget process, which culminated in a last-minute, $262 million amendment to use one-time funds. Advocates said they were caught off guard in December, and this time around, they\u2019re keen to make their voices heard.\n\u201cNow the question is, how do you reconcile what the city wants to do with the (relief) money with what we heard today from advocacy groups and from people interested in how that money is spent?\u201d said City Council member Joe Giarrusso, who chairs the budget committee.\nCity plan\nThe late-breaking budget amendment last year aimed lots of one-time money at the most urgent issue for many voters -- violent crime. Big spends included $22.5 million for police recruitment and retention, $30 million for new criminal justice software and $4.9 million for juvenile probation and parole.\nBut some advocates complained that far too many of those funds were directed at punitive measures instead of social services. The Cantrell administration is now proposing a package aimed at preventing and interrupting violence through non-policing measures.\nThe city\u2019s plan includes $10 million for a joint program between NOLA Public Schools and Children\u2019s Hospital to place mental health professionals, case managers and expanded services in the \u201chighest risk\u201d schools where kids need help to address trauma. Separately, the school system would partner with the city's Office of Workforce Development for an $8.1 million program to put at-risk high schoolers on career paths.\nMayor LaToya Cantrell and Dr. Jennifer Avegno, pictured in 2020 \nPHOTO BY MAX BECHERER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE/NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE\nOther expenditures would include $500,000 for a rebooted violence interruption street team, $1 million for a blight remediation partnership between Tulane public health researchers and city code enforcement, $2.5 million for pocket parks, $5 million for financial assistance programs and $1 million for food security programs.\nThe city\u2019s package is designed to put a \u201cdown payment\u201d on projects that have been proven to reduce crime, said Dr. Jennifer Avegno, health department director. The City Council in January passed a motion mandating that her department create a violence reduction program.\n\u201cIf you don\u2019t make significant investments in the root causes of crime and violence \u2013 and certainly, from the public health perspective, shootings and killings, which are a major cause of mortality in this city \u2013 then you\u2019re not getting a lot for your money,\u201d she said.\nSeparately, the city would spend $10 million on reducing homelessness.\nThe city\u2019s proposals draw only from American Rescue Plan Act funds. However, advocates note that the city also has a growing pot of unspent general fund dollars \u2013 pegged at $274 million in a recent city report.\nCAO Gilbert Montano, right \nPHOTO BY BRETT DUKE / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE\nMonta\u00f1o said that number represents an unaudited point-in-time figure. He acknowledged that the city\u2019s fund balance is \u201csizable\u201d but said he wants to keep a healthy reserve in place for emergencies and economic downturns.\n\u201cIf we don\u2019t protect the city for the future, then I don't think we\u2019re being good stewards,\u201d he said.\nAdvocates\u2019 plan\nThe community groups pitching the council on Tuesday proposed a much more aggressive spending plan. They said it would be a mistake to continue using the federal pandemic relief dollars to build up the city\u2019s fund balance.\nPresenters from the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center, New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice and the Vera Institute said they had contacted dozens of community groups for input and conducted their own vetting project to come up with a wish-list of mostly existing projects that could benefit from infusions of one-time cash.\nThe top item on that list was $107 million for housing, including $70 million for the construction of affordable rental housing, $15 million for reducing street homelessness and $10 million for the renovation of existing but substandard rental units.\nOther proposals include a $20 million investment in youth development through community organizations and $18 million for \"community equity\" projects including $5 million for free public transit fares, $5 million for food banks and food producers, and $5.2 million in direct cash assistance for people who were left out of earlier rounds of government assistance during the pandemic.\nWill Snowden, director of Vera Institute of Justice's New Orleans office\nPROVIDED PHOTO\nWhile last year\u2019s budget appropriated tens of millions to agencies that respond to crime, Will Snowden, the director of the Vera Institute in New Orleans, said it was time to pivot to addressing root causes. He saw the groups\u2019 proposal as a floor, rather than a ceiling.\n\u201cThere can be more. When we\u2019re having conversations in New Orleans about what provides public safety and what creates public safety, it is these kinds of investments,\u201d he said.\nEmail Matt Sledge at msledge@theadvocate.com.\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nCity ARPA plan\nCity of New Orleans Apr 5, 2023\nMORE INFORMATION\nThe Nightly Top 5: Catch up on today's top stories\nDebate continues over how New Orleans should spend millions in pandemic relief aid, S&WB walks back its threat to cut water to tenants wit\u2026\nTags\nHardwall\nThis Day in History\nSponsored by Connatix\nRecommended for you\nRecommended by\nSECTIONS\nHOME\nNEWS\nOPINION\nSPORTS\nENTERTAINMENT/LIFE\nNEWSLETTERS\nGAMES\nSERVICES\nCLASSIFIEDS\nSEARCH\nSUBSCRIBE | GROUPS\nDIGITAL ADVERTISING\nHELP/CONTACT US\nRSS FEEDS\nMEDIA KIT\nEEDITION\nCAREERS\nTEACHER'S LINK\nREVIEWING THE RECORD\nOUR SITES\nOBITUARIES\nJOBS\nCELEBRATIONS\nNIE\nCLASSIFIEDS\nHOMES\nPETS\nARCHIVES\nSTORE\nCONTACT INFORMATION\nnola.com\n840 St. Charles Avenue\nNew Orleans, LA 70130\nPhone: 504-529-0522\n\nNews Tips:\nnolanewstips@theadvocate.com\nOther questions:\nsubscriberservices@theadvocate.com\nNeed help?\nReport a delivery issue\nCreate a temporary stop\nSign up for recurring payments\nPay your bill\nUpdate your billing info\n\n\u00a9 Copyright 2023 NOLA.com 840 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA  | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy\nPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.\nThis website stores data such as cookies to enable essential website functionality, marketing, personalization and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. See updated terms and conditions.\n ",
             "url": "https://www.nola.com/news/politics/how-should-new-orleans-spend-millions-of-one-time-funds-new-debate-begins/article_ef36af06-d320-11ed-b9fe-978f03c2909b.html",
-            "title": "How should New Orleans spend the millions left in pandemic relief aid? A new debate begins"
+            "title": "How should new orleans spend the millions left in pandemic relief aid a new debate begins"
         }
     ]
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Meeting on controversial new orleans jail project draws passionate comments and a heated exchange.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Meeting on controversial new orleans jail project draws passionate comments and a heated exchange.json
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@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+{
+    "messages": [
+        {
+            "page_content": "Menu\nShow Search\nDonate\nNow Playing\nWWNO 89.9\nNews\nGulf States Newsroom\nReporting on health care, criminal justice, the economy and other important issues in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.\nMeeting on controversial New Orleans jail project draws passionate comments and a heated exchange\nWWNO - New Orleans Public Radio | By Drew Hawkins\nPublished July 13, 2023 at 7:50 AM CDT\nFacebook\nTwitter\nLinkedIn\nEmail\nLISTEN \u2022 0:49\nDrew Hawkins\n/\nGulf States Newsroom\nVOTE deputy director Bruce Reilly holds the microphone while speaking during a conference held outside of City Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Wednesday, July 12, 2023.\nStanding in the hot, July sun outside of New Orleans City Hall Wednesday morning, Bruce Reilly wiped the sweat from his forehead and took the microphone to introduce himself and deliver a message to the city council.\nAs the deputy director of Voice of the Experience (VOTE) a grassroots organization founded and run by formerly incarcerated people, Reilly wanted to make clear his group\u2019s opposition to the construction of a \u201cspecial needs\u201d jail building, known as Phase III, at the Orleans Justice Center.\n\u201cWe're here today to talk about Phase III in the jail, something that we thought was over,\u201d he said. \u201cBut similar to Friday the 13th, it's like a villain that just won't die.\u201d\nVOTE set up a press conference on the front steps of the building to speak out against the project. The new jail wing features a controversial design known as a panopticon, where cells are arranged in a large circle surrounding a central \u201ccommand center\u201d in the middle. It\u2019s an architectural concept that dates back to the 1780s that one prison expert described as \u201cchaotic, inhumane, ineffective, overwhelming.\u201d\nOrleans Sheriff Susan Hutson does not support the new facility, either. Phase III was introduced by her predecessor, Marlin Gusman, and approved by former Mayor Mitch Landrieu\u2019s administration. Hutson has written a letter to Federal Magistrate Judge Michael North urging the court to reconsider its support for the project.\nNew Orleans jail expansion sees more opposition during public planning commission meeting\n\u201cToday we\u2019re trying to make democracy work,\u201d Reilly said outside of city hall. \u201cThe people of this city have voted with their feet to not expand the jail into Phase III. And that was done when Susan Hutson overwhelmingly defeated Marlon Gusman, who supported Phase III.\u201d\nVOTE\u2019s press conference took place ahead of a scheduled City Council meeting where the project\u2019s cost and alternatives to it would be discussed. The group was in attendance to make public comments to try to convince the council to stand against the project.\n\u201cWe're going to have our voices heard,\u201d Reilly said to the crowd just before the meeting. \u201cWe hope that the city council is with us. They've been with us before and we see no reason why we can't walk out of this thing with this jail dead.\u201d\nDrew Hawkins\n/\nGulf States Newsroom\nVOTE members sit in New Orleans City Council chambers on Wednesday, July 12, 2023. The grassroots organization founded and run by formerly incarcerated people attended the meeting to make public comments during an assessment of the controversial Phase III project at the Orleans Justice Center.\nInside city hall, conversations grew more heated. Prison-expansion opponents \u2014 like VOTE \u2014 have previously suggested that the only people supporting the project are contractors who could make money off of building it. They\u2019ve also questioned the motives of any city official who supports the project.\nAs City Councilmember JP Morrell was on his way into the council chambers, Reilly spotted him and briefly spoke to him. The conversation took a turn, ending with Morrell telling Reilly that implying any level of corruption is uncalled for in an expletive-laden outburst.\n\u201cIntimating corruption when you have no evidence is very upsetting,\u201d Morrell said to Reilly. \u201cWe can disagree on issues, but sometimes you just say s\u2014 that\u2019s just out of bounds, and I don\u2019t appreciate it.\u201d\nMorrell then emphasized that he didn\u2019t have \u201cany conversations with any f\u2014--- contractors\u201d before entering the chambers and taking his seat.\nNew Orleans City Councilmember JP Morrell\nOut in the hall following Morrell\u2019s outburst, Reilly said he never meant to imply that a specific councilperson was corrupt and he doesn\u2019t have any hard feelings toward Morrell for the interaction.\n\u201cI think it's understandable that if someone even made a hint that I might be corrupt, I would take offense to that, so I don't hold anything against the councilman,\u201d Reilly said, referring to Morrell. \u201cI mean, the thing is, if we're not pushing on each other, what are we doing here?\u201d\nEvery speaker during the public comment portion of the meeting opposed the Phase III project.\n\u201cJail is bad for people, no matter whether it\u2019s Phase III or what you do, jail is a bad place to be,\u201d said Meghan Garvey, policy counsel for the Orleans Public Defenders Office. \u201cIt\u2019s not good for people, and there\u2019s nothing you can do with money, with buildings, or anything that changes that.\u201d\nGarvey said the Phase III facility represents a \u201ccommitment to failure\u201d because the jail population has been decreasing in recent years but is now \u201ccreeping back up.\u201d\n\u201cWe have a problem with too many people who are severely mentally ill in this jail and no matter what you build, it\u2019s not going to change that,\u201d Garvey said. \u201cThe jail is never going to be an OK place to take care of people that are that sick.\u201d\nEvery council member present, including Morrell, made clear that they do not support the Phase III expansion, each expressing that the money for the facility could be better spent on mental health resources for incarcerated people. The City Council has already called for an audit of the costs associated with the project.\nCouncilmember Oliver Thomas expressed his disapproval in colorful terms.\n\u201cSometimes my colleagues will tease me about when I wasn\u2019t around and what they used to do,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cBut let me say this: this is the goofiest thing I have seen in my entire political life. I\u2019ve never seen something so outrageous \u2014 that we would be willing spend money that we don\u2019t have to do something that will not work.\u201d\nThis story was produced by the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between Mississippi Public Broadcasting, WBHM in Alabama, WWNO and WRKF in Louisiana and NPR. \nTags\nNews Louisiana NewsGulf States NewsroomOrleans Justice Centercriminal justice reform\nFacebook\nTwitter\nLinkedIn\nEmail\nDrew Hawkins\nDrew Hawkins is the health equity reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom. He covers stories related to health care access and outcomes across the region, with a focus on the social factors that drive disparities.\nSee stories by Drew Hawkins\n\ud83d\udc4b Looks like you could use more news. Sign up for our newsletters.\n* indicates required\nEmail Address *\nFirst Name\nLast Name\nNew Orleans Public Radio News\nDaily News\nWeekly News\nCoastal Desk\nNew Orleans Public Radio Info\nStation news\n\u00a9 2023 WWNO\nTerms of Use\nCommunity Discussion Rules\nPublic Information\nPublic Service Announcements\nPrivacy\nAbout\nContact\nCareers & Volunteers",
+            "url": "https://www.wwno.org/news/2023-07-13/meeting-on-controversial-new-orleans-jail-project-draws-passionate-comments-and-a-heated-exchange",
+            "title": "Meeting on controversial new orleans jail project draws passionate comments and a heated exchange"
+        }
+    ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_argues_case_to_exit_NOPD_consent_decree._After_3_hours,_a_judge_defers_the_ruling..json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans argues case to exit Nopd consent decree After 3 Hours A judge defers the ruling.json
similarity index 95%
rename from packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_argues_case_to_exit_NOPD_consent_decree._After_3_hours,_a_judge_defers_the_ruling..json
rename to packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans argues case to exit Nopd consent decree After 3 Hours A judge defers the ruling.json
index 07348303..77fa0c93 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_argues_case_to_exit_NOPD_consent_decree._After_3_hours,_a_judge_defers_the_ruling..json
+++ b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans argues case to exit Nopd consent decree After 3 Hours A judge defers the ruling.json	
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 {
     "messages": [
         {
-            "page_content": "Skip to main content\nHomes\nCalendar\nStore\nPublic Notices\nE-Edition\nNewsletters\nSubscribe for $1\nNew Orleans argues case to exit NOPD consent decree. After 3 hours, a judge defers the ruling.\nBY MISSY WILKINSON and JOHN SIMERMAN | Staff writers Jun 28, 2023\n2 min to read\nBuy Now\nThe U.S. District Courthouse in New Orleans.\nSTAFF FILE PHOTO\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nAlmost a year after filing a motion to end the sprawling reform agreement that has governed the New Orleans Police Department for a decade, Mayor LaToya Cantrell had her day in court.\nAttorneys for the city on Wednesday argued that problems the original federal consent decree was designed to address, including corruption, bias and shoddy policing, have long been ameliorated, despite consistent assertions that the police force should do more. \nU.S. Department of Justice lawyers disagreed, citing ongoing shortcomings that include improper use of force by officers and patterns of unlawful racial discrimination in stops and searches. \nAfter three hours of back-and-forth, U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan said she would take the matter under advisement.\nThe hearing culminated a legal gambit by Cantrell that began last August, when the city filed its motion to exit the deal, casting doubt on the assessments by the federal monitors who report to Morgan. In recent reports, the monitors identified backsliding in areas they'd previously checked off as compliant.\nMorgan had projected that the city would reach a two-year offramp from federal oversight last summer. But that timetable dissolved as the judge and the monitors began to find progress stifled, in part by a steep loss of police officers from the force. Morgan pumped the brakes, stoking a bitter response from Cantrell, who has since taken an aggressive tack against the judge and monitors, in court and public statements.    \nCharles Zimmer, outside counsel for the city, told Morgan Wednesday that the NOPD has shown substantial compliance with the demands of the 2012 consent decree, which at the time was the most wide-reaching blueprint for police reform in the country.\nZimmer argued that changes have rendered compliance more onerous, and that perfection shouldn't be the goal. \n\"The city believes the pattern that existed in 2011 has been remedied for years, and we are legally entitled to exit,\" said Daniel Davillier, outside counsel for the city.\nAccording to a review by Independent Police Monitor Stella Cziment, 17 of the 28 instances in which the NOPD used force in 2021 weren't justified, and 37% of police pursuits that year resulted in formal disciplinary investigations. The NOPD's own audit revealed 35% of pat-downs from March 2022 weren't properly documented\u2014a potential Fourth Amendment violation.\nThough the department has exhibited enormous progress, that doesn't equate to full and effective compliance, a DOJ representative argued. \nFormer Mayor Mitch Landrieu agreed to the reforms after a blistering federal investigation portrayed a police department replete with misconduct. Morgan and the monitors have touted improvements since then, though doubts over the will to sustain those efforts remain strong.    \n\"This is supposed to be a durable remedy,\" Morgan told the city's attorney. \"Once you're in compliance, the concept is you stay in compliance\u2014not that you can be compliant for two years and then forget about it.\"\nThe exchange between Morgan and Zimmer grew heated when Zimmer likened federal oversight\u2014and the accompanying $16 million paid out to federal monitors over the years\u2014to \"a hostage situation.\"\n\"I do not want you to impugn the integrity of the court to my face,\" Morgan replied.\nCziment, whose office is slated to take on a bigger watchdog role once the feds leave, cited fear in the community over a premature exit from federal oversight, and uncertainty over an NOPD left to its own devices.\n\"There isn't a clear vision of what constitutional policing will look like after the consent decree is done,\" Cziment stated after the hearing. \"As for the use of force and stop, searches and arrests, we share the concerns highlighted by the Department of Justice and the NOPD themselves (via departmental audits.)\"\nMorgan provided no timeline for her ruling.\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nMORE INFORMATION\nMayor defends reinstatement of Jeffrey Vappie to security detail\nSeven months after questions arose about his time spent with Mayor LaToya Cantrell in a French Quarter apartment, New Orleans police officer J\u2026\nNOPD says officer on Cantrell detail violated policies, but monitor says it could've looked harder\nFederal monitors cast a dim view of the New Orleans Police Department\u2019s internal investigation of Officer Jeffrey Vappie over his timesheets while serving on a team securing Mayor LaToya Cantrell, in a report released Thursday.\nNOPD to sell reforms straight to public after federal judge caves on hearing order\nNew Orleans Police Department brass were set to launch a series of public meetings on Wednesday to tout progress on a slew of reforms to the f\u2026\nIn police reform quarrel, New Orleans objects to 'unattainable' goal\nCantrell administration says Justice Department, \"faced with losing control\" is changing the rules\nMonitor slams NOPD over internal affairs, probe of Cantrell security guard\nA New Orleans police internal affairs probe into alleged payroll irregularities involving an officer who was assigned to protect Mayor LaToya \u2026\nCity must defend NOPD probe of mayor's bodyguard, appeals court rules\nA federal appeals court on Monday opposed the city\u2019s objection to a rule to show cause hearing regarding alleged violations of the consent decree that stemmed from its handling of the Vappie probe. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan ordered the city to defend its investigation on Aug. 31.\nThree-day federal court hearing ends over NOPD's investigation of mayor's bodyguard\nMonitors who report to U.S. Judge Susie Morgan claim the city violated several reform mandates in its probe of Officer Jeffrey Vappie\nThis Day in History\nSponsored by Connatix\nRecommended for you\nRecommended by\nSECTIONS\nHOME\nNEWS\nOPINION\nSPORTS\nENTERTAINMENT/LIFE\nNEWSLETTERS\nGAMES\nSERVICES\nCLASSIFIEDS\nSEARCH\nSUBSCRIBE | GROUPS\nDIGITAL ADVERTISING\nHELP/CONTACT US\nRSS FEEDS\nMEDIA KIT\nEEDITION\nCAREERS\nTEACHER'S LINK\nREVIEWING THE RECORD\nOUR SITES\nOBITUARIES\nJOBS\nCELEBRATIONS\nNIE\nCLASSIFIEDS\nHOMES\nPETS\nARCHIVES\nSTORE\nCONTACT INFORMATION\nnola.com\n840 St. Charles Avenue\nNew Orleans, LA 70130\nPhone: 504-529-0522\n\nNews Tips:\nnolanewstips@theadvocate.com\nOther questions:\nsubscriberservices@theadvocate.com\nNeed help?\nReport a delivery issue\nCreate a temporary stop\nSign up for recurring payments\nPay your bill\nUpdate your billing info\n\n\u00a9 Copyright 2023 NOLA.com 840 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA  | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy\nPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.\n  This website stores data such as cookies to enable essential website functionality, marketing, personalization and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. See updated terms and conditions.",
+            "page_content": "Skip to main content\nHomes\nCalendar\nStore\nPublic Notices\nE-Edition\nNewsletters\nSubscribe for $1\nNew Orleans argues case to exit NOPD consent decree. After 3 hours, a judge defers the ruling.\nBY MISSY WILKINSON and JOHN SIMERMAN | Staff writers Jun 28, 2023\n2 min to read\nBuy Now\nThe U.S. District Courthouse in New Orleans.\nSTAFF FILE PHOTO\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nAlmost a year after filing a motion to end the sprawling reform agreement that has governed the New Orleans Police Department for a decade, Mayor LaToya Cantrell had her day in court.\nAttorneys for the city on Wednesday argued that problems the original federal consent decree was designed to address, including corruption, bias and shoddy policing, have long been ameliorated, despite consistent assertions that the police force should do more. \nU.S. Department of Justice lawyers disagreed, citing ongoing shortcomings that include improper use of force by officers and patterns of unlawful racial discrimination in stops and searches. \nAfter three hours of back-and-forth, U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan said she would take the matter under advisement.\nThe hearing culminated a legal gambit by Cantrell that began last August, when the city filed its motion to exit the deal, casting doubt on the assessments by the federal monitors who report to Morgan. In recent reports, the monitors identified backsliding in areas they'd previously checked off as compliant.\nMorgan had projected that the city would reach a two-year offramp from federal oversight last summer. But that timetable dissolved as the judge and the monitors began to find progress stifled, in part by a steep loss of police officers from the force. Morgan pumped the brakes, stoking a bitter response from Cantrell, who has since taken an aggressive tack against the judge and monitors, in court and public statements.    \nCharles Zimmer, outside counsel for the city, told Morgan Wednesday that the NOPD has shown substantial compliance with the demands of the 2012 consent decree, which at the time was the most wide-reaching blueprint for police reform in the country.\nZimmer argued that changes have rendered compliance more onerous, and that perfection shouldn't be the goal. \n\"The city believes the pattern that existed in 2011 has been remedied for years, and we are legally entitled to exit,\" said Daniel Davillier, outside counsel for the city.\nAccording to a review by Independent Police Monitor Stella Cziment, 17 of the 28 instances in which the NOPD used force in 2021 weren't justified, and 37% of police pursuits that year resulted in formal disciplinary investigations. The NOPD's own audit revealed 35% of pat-downs from March 2022 weren't properly documented\u2014a potential Fourth Amendment violation.\nThough the department has exhibited enormous progress, that doesn't equate to full and effective compliance, a DOJ representative argued. \nFormer Mayor Mitch Landrieu agreed to the reforms after a blistering federal investigation portrayed a police department replete with misconduct. Morgan and the monitors have touted improvements since then, though doubts over the will to sustain those efforts remain strong.    \n\"This is supposed to be a durable remedy,\" Morgan told the city's attorney. \"Once you're in compliance, the concept is you stay in compliance\u2014not that you can be compliant for two years and then forget about it.\"\nThe exchange between Morgan and Zimmer grew heated when Zimmer likened federal oversight\u2014and the accompanying $16 million paid out to federal monitors over the years\u2014to \"a hostage situation.\"\n\"I do not want you to impugn the integrity of the court to my face,\" Morgan replied.\nCziment, whose office is slated to take on a bigger watchdog role once the feds leave, cited fear in the community over a premature exit from federal oversight, and uncertainty over an NOPD left to its own devices.\n\"There isn't a clear vision of what constitutional policing will look like after the consent decree is done,\" Cziment stated after the hearing. \"As for the use of force and stop, searches and arrests, we share the concerns highlighted by the Department of Justice and the NOPD themselves (via departmental audits.)\"\nMorgan provided no timeline for her ruling.\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nMORE INFORMATION\nMayor defends reinstatement of Jeffrey Vappie to security detail\nSeven months after questions arose about his time spent with Mayor LaToya Cantrell in a French Quarter apartment, New Orleans police officer J\u2026\nNOPD says officer on Cantrell detail violated policies, but monitor says it could've looked harder\nFederal monitors cast a dim view of the New Orleans Police Department\u2019s internal investigation of Officer Jeffrey Vappie over his timesheets while serving on a team securing Mayor LaToya Cantrell, in a report released Thursday.\nNOPD to sell reforms straight to public after federal judge caves on hearing order\nNew Orleans Police Department brass were set to launch a series of public meetings on Wednesday to tout progress on a slew of reforms to the f\u2026\nIn police reform quarrel, New Orleans objects to 'unattainable' goal\nCantrell administration says Justice Department, \"faced with losing control\" is changing the rules\nMonitor slams NOPD over internal affairs, probe of Cantrell security guard\nA New Orleans police internal affairs probe into alleged payroll irregularities involving an officer who was assigned to protect Mayor LaToya \u2026\nCity must defend NOPD probe of mayor's bodyguard, appeals court rules\nA federal appeals court on Monday opposed the city\u2019s objection to a rule to show cause hearing regarding alleged violations of the consent decree that stemmed from its handling of the Vappie probe. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan ordered the city to defend its investigation on Aug. 31.\nThree-day federal court hearing ends over NOPD's investigation of mayor's bodyguard\nMonitors who report to U.S. Judge Susie Morgan claim the city violated several reform mandates in its probe of Officer Jeffrey Vappie\nThis Day in History\nSponsored by Connatix\nRecommended for you\nRecommended by\nSECTIONS\nHOME\nNEWS\nOPINION\nSPORTS\nENTERTAINMENT/LIFE\nNEWSLETTERS\nGAMES\nSERVICES\nCLASSIFIEDS\nSEARCH\nSUBSCRIBE | GROUPS\nDIGITAL ADVERTISING\nHELP/CONTACT US\nRSS FEEDS\nMEDIA KIT\nEEDITION\nCAREERS\nTEACHER'S LINK\nREVIEWING THE RECORD\nOUR SITES\nOBITUARIES\nJOBS\nCELEBRATIONS\nNIE\nCLASSIFIEDS\nHOMES\nPETS\nARCHIVES\nSTORE\nCONTACT INFORMATION\nnola.com\n840 St. Charles Avenue\nNew Orleans, LA 70130\nPhone: 504-529-0522\n\nNews Tips:\nnolanewstips@theadvocate.com\nOther questions:\nsubscriberservices@theadvocate.com\nNeed help?\nReport a delivery issue\nCreate a temporary stop\nSign up for recurring payments\nPay your bill\nUpdate your billing info\n\n\u00a9 Copyright 2023 NOLA.com 840 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA  | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy\nPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.\nThis website stores data such as cookies to enable essential website functionality, marketing, personalization and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. See updated terms and conditions.\n ",
             "url": "https://www.nola.com/news/crime_police/judge-offers-no-ruling-on-citys-motion-to-exit-consent-decree/article_1871f7dc-15c9-11ee-ad6c-afaeccd8e9dc.html",
-            "title": "New Orleans argues case to exit NOPD consent decree. After 3 hours, a judge defers the ruling."
+            "title": "New orleans argues case to exit NOPD consent decree After 3 hours a judge defers the ruling"
         }
     ]
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git "a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_ignores_\342\200\230clean_fleet\342\200\231_law_during_$50_million_vehicle-buying_spree.json" b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans ignores Clean fleet Law during 50 Million vehicle - Buying spree.json
similarity index 99%
rename from "packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_ignores_\342\200\230clean_fleet\342\200\231_law_during_$50_million_vehicle-buying_spree.json"
rename to packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans ignores Clean fleet Law during 50 Million vehicle - Buying spree.json
index bbe1bb38..e73342df 100644
--- "a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_ignores_\342\200\230clean_fleet\342\200\231_law_during_$50_million_vehicle-buying_spree.json"
+++ b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans ignores Clean fleet Law during 50 Million vehicle - Buying spree.json	
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
         {
             "page_content": "HOME\nABOUT\nSUBSCRIBE\nDONATE\nELECTION 2023\nGOVT + POLITICS\nENVIRONMENT\nHEALTH\nCRIMINAL JUSTICE\nEDUCATION\nENVIRONMENT\nGOVT + POLITICS\nINVESTIGATIONS\nNew Orleans ignores \u2018clean fleet\u2019 law during $50 million vehicle-buying spree\nBY: MICHAEL ISAAC STEIN, VERITE - JUNE 3, 2023 6:00 AM\nVerite photo\nNEW ORLEANS \u2014 The city of New Orleans, flush with federal pandemic aid dollars, is in the midst of a spending spree to replace its aging vehicle fleet.\nSo far this year, the city has spent $50 million in federal pandemic relief aid to buy 791 vehicles. But it appears that almost all of those purchases violate a city law that mandates low emissions for city-owned vehicles.\nThe \u201cclean fleet\u201d ordinance, which the City Council approved last year, requires the city to stop buying gas-powered vehicles altogether in 2025. But the law also stipulates that starting in 2023, newly purchased city vehicles have to at least follow the same low-emissions standards required for the federal government as part of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act.\nMayor LaToya Cantrell recently released a list of 2023 vehicle purchases. An analysis by Verite didn\u2019t identify a single car model that met those emissions standards.\nSome of the listed vehicles don\u2019t have the specific model number necessary to look up their emissions on the federal government\u2019s emissions database, including \u201c15 passenger vans\u201d and \u201cambulances.\u201d But of the 686 vehicles that do provide model information, none of them appear to meet the city\u2019s standards.\nMany of the vehicles don\u2019t even come close to meeting the standard, including SUVs with emissions two or three times higher than the threshold.\n\u201cMost concerning here is that not only are all of the vehicles gas, they\u2019re guzzlers,\u201d Logan Burke, executive director of the Alliance for Affordable Energy, told Verite.\nThe \u201cclean fleet\u201d ordinance does allow the city\u2019s Chief Administrative Officer, Gilbert Monta\u00f1o, to grant exceptions. But the law says that \u201cexemptions are disfavored and may only be approved on a case-by-case basis.\u201d It also requires Monta\u00f1o to provide a written explanation for each exemption that provides \u201ca substantial public-safety justification.\u201d\nA written statement from Cantrell\u2019s office on Thursday said that Monta\u00f1o \u201chas exercised his discretion to grant exemptions from the cited standard when appropriate.\u201d But the city did not respond to a request to provide copies of those exemptions by the time of publication.\nIn the statement, Cantrell\u2019s office said the high-emission vehicles were necessary due to \u201csupply chain challenges\u201d and because \u201cunfortunately, currently available vehicles that meet the cited standard are not effective for every job.\u201d\n\u201cThe age and functionality of the current fleet impacts the effectiveness of City services and carries a significant financial burden,\u201d the statement said. \u201cAs the vehicle designs improve and the marketplace recovers from its challenges, the City will purchase vehicles that meet the cited standard. \u2026 But the City will not risk the safety of City employees and the public in order to meet a standard that vehicle manufacturers have been unable to keep up with thus far.\u201d\nThe majority of the vehicles, 512 out of 791, went to the New Orleans Police Department. NOPD Superintendent Michelle Woodfork said in April that she planned to use vehicles to offer take-home cars for every NOPD officer. The rest of the money was spread over 29 other departments, including the Department of Safety and Permits, the Fire Department, the District Attorney\u2019s Office, the Mayor\u2019s Office and the New Orleans Public Library.\nBurke said that even if Monta\u00f1o did issue a formal exception for each of the vehicles, and the administration didn\u2019t violate the law, it was still a mistake to upgrade the city\u2019s fleet with the same high-emissions vehicles it\u2019s always relied on.\n\u201cIf municipalities like New Orleans pass policies intended to take climate action and act as a role model for people and businesses, it is vital that they follow their own rules,\u201d Burke said. \u201cOtherwise policies wind up as performance and handwaving, and that\u2019s how people lose confidence in their government.\u201d\nWhen the clean fleet ordinance was introduced by Councilwoman Helena Moreno last year, she said the fleet transition was a vital step for a city so vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.\nCantrell has framed herself as a leader on climate. She recently returned from a climate conference in South Korea, where, her office said in a press release, she was the only mayor in attendance.\n\u201cWe expect the Administration to understand and follow the law,\u201d Moreno said in a statement on Wednesday. \u201cClimate leadership requires execution, not just rhetoric. I need to know why they failed to follow the law.\u201d\nMoreno and experts acknowledged from the start that transitioning the city\u2019s hundreds of vehicles to a low-emission fleet would cost money, and that they would likely need federal funds to help make that happen. And at the beginning of this year, when the new threshold went into effect, the city happened to be sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars in unallocated pandemic aid and surplus money.\nBurke\u2019s frustration over the new vehicle purchases is a sentiment shared by many local advocates and residents over the federal funds, the feeling that the city missed a rare golden opportunity to fund transformational projects, and instead doubled down on what it\u2019s already doing.\n\u201cThis specific example of the cars is a symptom of the problem \u2014 the failure to make these dollars and spending decisions align with community priorities,\u201d said Cashauna Hill, executive director of the Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center.\n\u2018The administration needs to make this all make sense\u2019\nThis is not the first time Cantrell has been criticized for how the city has used $388 million in federal pandemic relief aid it began receiving in mid-2021.\nAs 2022 was winding down, it became clear that the city hadn\u2019t spent almost any of the money. The big question was how the city should spend the unexpected windfall.\nThe administration told residents that there would be a public process to determine how to spend it. But that never happened, advocates said.\nOver the past six months, the administration and council quickly appropriated the vast majority of the money. Although all the cash was formally allocated in public council votes, residents, advocates and good government watchdogs have said the process has been last-minute, non-transparent and unaccountable.\n\u201cThe issue here is that what\u2019s happening is that the administration has gone out of its way to avoid having a transparent conversation about what they\u2019re choosing to spend money on and why,\u201d Hill said.\nHill and other advocates say they were pushed to the side, and that since almost all the money has been allocated, it may be too late. Hill was particularly adamant about the high level of federal funds Cantrell spent on the police, including the recent vehicle purchases.\n\u201cWe continue to hear that it\u2019s so difficult to recruit and attract and retain NOPD officers,\u201d Hill said. \u201cYet we\u2019re continuing to spend millions of dollars on vehicles for these nonexistent police officers to take home. The administration needs to make this all make sense. And so far they have refused to do that.\u201d\nThe NOPD has seen a big drop in its ranks in the past few years, at the same time that the city, and most of the country, experienced a rise in some violent crimes. Much of the ARPA funds have been dedicated to fixing that staffing problem at the NOPD, including a multimillion-dollar retention and recruitment package.\nTake-home vehicles for officers was also a recruiting recommendation provided by former New York police officers the city hired as consultants last year.\nLooking at the city\u2019s official allocations, it\u2019s difficult to tell exactly how much was spent on the NOPD. For example, $1.5 million for a new facility for NOPD\u2019s police dogs and horses was officially marked as a transfer of funds from the City Council to the Chief Administrative Office. It\u2019s also unclear how much of a $30 million criminal justice IT overhaul will go directly to the police.\nAccording to a city dashboard, of the first $141 million of federal pandemic funds the city appropriated to special projects, 62% went to \u201cpublic safety.\u201d\n\u201cI\u2019m not aware of the exact amount [spent on NOPD], my guess would be that it\u2019s the majority.\u201d Hill said. \u201cThey are clearly showing us what their actual priorities are. \u2026 It seems like this administration has fully decided that giving more money to the NOPD is the way we\u2019re going to address what they\u2019re calling a historic crime wave.\u201d\nHill said that once again, government officials are failing to take a holistic approach to the community\u2019s problems, failing to see the connections between safety and housing and education and transportation.\n\u201cIt\u2019s such a short-sighted plan,\u201d Hill said. \u201cBecause it fails once again to address the actual needs of community members, and instead gives into fear and continues to pad the budget of the NOPD, which has not helped us.\u201d\nThis article first appeared on Verite and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. Join Verite\u2019s Mailing List | Get the news that matters to you\nREPUBLISH\nOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.\nMICHAEL ISAAC STEIN, VERITE\nBefore joining Verite, Michael Isaac Stein spent five years as an investigative reporter at The Lens, a nonprofit New Orleans news publication, covering local government, housing and labor issues. Before working at The Lens, Stein was a reporter for WWNO New Orleans Public Radio and freelanced for various national publications including The Intercept, The New Republic and Bloomberg\u2019s CityLab. He holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from the University of Michigan\u2019s Ford School of Public Policy.\nMORE FROM AUTHOR\nRELATED NEWS\n\u2018Healthy Homes\u2019 ordinance falls short for New Orleans\u2026\nBY KARLI WINFREY, VERITE\nNovember 10, 2022\nNew Orleans government remains understaffed despite\u2026\nBY MICHAEL ISAAC STEIN, VERITE\nApril 2, 2023\nSHINING A LIGHT ON THE BAYOU STATE\nDemocracy Toolkit //\nRegister to vote\n|\nFind your voting precinct\n|\nBecome an election worker\n|\nConduct a voter registration drive\n|\nContact your state and federal lawmakers\nABOUT US\nThe Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization with a mission to cast light on how decisions in Baton Rouge are made and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians. Our in-depth investigations and news stories, news briefs and commentary help residents make sense of how state policies help or hurt them and their neighbors statewide.\nOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site.\nDEIJ Policy | Ethics Policy | Privacy Policy\n\u00a9 Louisiana Illuminator, 2023",
             "url": "https://lailluminator.com/2023/06/03/theyre-guzzlers-new-orleans-ignores-clean-fleet-law-during-50-million-vehicle-buying-spree/",
-            "title": "New Orleans ignores \u2018clean fleet\u2019 law during $50 million vehicle-buying spree"
+            "title": "New orleans ignores clean fleet law during 50 million vehicle - buying spree"
         }
     ]
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_police_use_of_facial_recognition_nets_zero_arrests_in_nine_months.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans police use of facial recognition nets Zero arrests in Nine Months.json
similarity index 99%
rename from packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_police_use_of_facial_recognition_nets_zero_arrests_in_nine_months.json
rename to packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans police use of facial recognition nets Zero arrests in Nine Months.json
index a985798c..63ae8feb 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_police_use_of_facial_recognition_nets_zero_arrests_in_nine_months.json
+++ b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans police use of facial recognition nets Zero arrests in Nine Months.json	
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
         {
             "page_content": "HOME\nABOUT\nSUBSCRIBE\nDONATE\nELECTION 2023\nGOVT + POLITICS\nENVIRONMENT\nHEALTH\nCRIMINAL JUSTICE\nEDUCATION\nCRIMINAL JUSTICE\nNew Orleans police use of facial recognition nets zero arrests in nine months\nBY: MICHAEL ISAAC STEIN, VERITE - JULY 28, 2023 6:00 AM\nNew Orleans Police Department officers stand at attention. (Image courtesy of NOPD)\nNEW ORLEANS \u2014 Facial recognition technology that has been touted as an important tool to reduce violent crime in the city was used by the New Orleans Police Department only 13 times from Oct. 1, 2022, to July 1, 2023, resulting in zero arrests, according to a new report from City Council consultant AH Datalytics.\nThe technology provided potential identities in just five cases, two of which were deemed \u201cbad matches,\u201d the report said.\nThe report comes roughly a year after the council lifted a ban on the controversial surveillance technology following pressure from the NOPD, Mayor LaToya Cantrell and a civic group called the NOLA Coalition.\n\u201cLast year, some argued overturning [the council\u2019s] ban on Facial Recognition tech was \u2018key\u2019 to solving violent crime. \u2026 They were wrong,\u201d Andrew Tuozzolo, chief of staff to Councilwoman Helena Moreno, said on Twitter earlier this month.\nNOPD policy requires officers to submit a request form to utilize facial recognition through a partnership with a state surveillance hub called the Louisiana State Analytical and Fusion Exchange. According to data the NOPD provided to the City Council, the 15 requests in the nine-month period included 14 requests to identify a Black male and one for a Black woman.\nOne of the requests was canceled because the suspect was identified through other means. Another request in an identity fraud case was denied because it violated NOPD policy, which says that facial recognition can only be used in connection with a \u201ccrime of violence\u201d or to find a missing person.\nIn the remaining 13 cases, facial recognition provided a match in only five of them. Two of those were considered \u201cbad matches,\u201d the report said. In another case, the NOPD arrested a different man than the one identified through facial recognition, noting that the \u201clead may have been bad information, match\u2019s subject was not in the area during the homicide.\u201d The last two cases that had a match are still open.\n\u201cThere have been no arrests of an individual matched by facial recognition per data from NOPD,\u201d the report said.\nAbout half of the 15 requests came from specialized NOPD offices focused on the most serious crimes, including the homicide division and the FBI-NOPD combined task force. The other half came from officers assigned to the NOPD\u2019s 8th District, which covers the French Quarter and the Central Business District. The request in the identity fraud case came from the 4th District, which covers the West Bank.\nEye on Surveillance, a leading local anti-surveillance coalition, was instrumental in passing the original facial recognition ban, and strongly opposed the council reversing it. Organizers told Verite that the report validated one of their central arguments in favor of the facial recognition ban \u2014 that mass crime camera systems simply aren\u2019t very effective, and are a waste of public dollars needed to address the root causes of crime, like the lack of housing, education and jobs.\n\u201cThis is a bittersweet moment because although it\u2019s rewarding to witness the validation of what we\u2019ve stated for years about this surveillance technology\u2019s inefficacy, we\u2019re disappointed that neither our coalition nor the people of New Orleans who resoundingly opposed the repeal were believed to begin with,\u201d an emailed statement from the organization said.\nThree council members at the time \u2014 Moreno, JP Morrell and Leslie Harris \u2014 opposed lifting the surveillance ban and likewise questioned whether facial recognition and crime cameras were vital to reducing crime.\n\u201cAs the data continues to show, facial recognition is not one of NOPD\u2019s main crime fighting tools,\u201d Harris told Verite in an email.\nAn NOPD spokesperson didn\u2019t respond directly to questions about the system\u2019s effectiveness.\n\u201cFacial recognition is one of the many tools available to investigators to assist in trying to generate leads in investigations and to identify criminal offenders,\u201d an NOPD spokesperson told Verite in an email. \u201cAny leads or results that are formed through technology are thoroughly vetted to ensure the correct outcome.\u201d\nGET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX\nSUBSCRIBE\nQuestions of reliability, racial discrimination\nNew Orleans\u2019 vast network of crime cameras was born under former Mayor Mitch Landrieu in 2017, and has progressed rapidly under Mayor LaToya Cantrell. The city\u2019s surveillance hub, the Real Time Crime Center, now has access to more than 1,000 live camera feeds around the clock, seven days a week. About half of those come from city-owned cameras and half from private residents and businesses who pay to give the city direct access to their cameras\u2019 live feeds.\nCivil rights and privacy advocates voiced concerns from the jump, which only grew when it became clear that the city was bolstering the power of its camera network with powerful, military-grade software that could automatically and instantly search footage for specific people, vehicles and more.\nSome objected to the technology because of the massive amount of power it would give to the police and criminal justice apparatus. Others pointed to the facial recognition technology\u2019s well-documented biases and inaccuracies.\nSeveral studies, including one by a federal agency, showed that facial recognition is far more unreliable at identifying people who aren\u2019t white, leading to more false matches and, in some cases, false arrests.\nFor example, last year, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff\u2019s Office used facial recognition to identify and issue an arrest warrant for a suspect in a robbery of luxury purses in Metairie. But the software identified the wrong person, a man in Georgia who was falsely arrested and kept in jail for a week as a result.\nIn November 2020, The Lens reported that despite years of denials, the city had in fact been utilizing facial recognition technology. That revelation, combined with the fact that it was apparently being done without the knowledge of the NOPD superintendent, convinced some council members that the NOPD shouldn\u2019t have access to facial recognition.\nIn December 2020, the council approved a new law limiting the city\u2019s surveillance capabilities and putting bans on four pieces of technology, including facial recognition and predictive policing software.\nThe 2020 surveillance law was already much less restrictive than critics like Eye on Surveillance originally pitched. But council members at the time \u2014 including Moreno and current District Attorney Jason Williams \u2014 said the ordinance would set a baseline to build on, and that more restrictions would be added in the future.\nBut public support for surveillance restrictions began to drop among elected officials as New Orleans, like most major cities in the United States, started experiencing a spike in violent crime. Also similar to other cities, New Orleans police force shrank to its lowest numbers in decades.\nPressure began building on the council to loosen the surveillance restrictions to help curb violent crime. The pressure came not just from the NOPD and Cantrell, but also from certain community groups \u2014 namely the NOLA Coalition, a partnership of more than a hundred local businesses and groups that claimed to form to try and reduce violent crime in the city.\nOne of the first things the group advocated for was lifting the city\u2019s surveillance bans. The group declined to comment on this story through a spokesperson Matt Wolfe, vice president of communications at Greater New Orleans, Inc.\nAs District Attorney, Williams was asked about lifting the ban and told the council \u201cit could be an amazing tool\u201d and could be a \u201cforce multiplier\u201d for the NOPD. That\u2019s despite the fact that Williams helped author the original ban when he was a council member.\nIn July 2022, the council voted 4-2 to lift the surveillance bans and loosen other surveillance restrictions. Council members Eugene Green, Freddie King, Joe Giarrusso and Oliver Thomas voted in favor. Morrell and Harris voted against. Moreno was absent for the vote but had spoken in opposition to it. Moreno, Harris and Morrell later authored an ordinance, which the council approved unanimously in August 2022, to create some limited guardrails on surveillance usage. The law requires the NOPD to share certain data with the council, including the facial recognition use included in the recent council report from AH Datalytics.\nThis article first appeared on Verite and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.\nREPUBLISH\nOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.\nMICHAEL ISAAC STEIN, VERITE\nBefore joining Verite, Michael Isaac Stein spent five years as an investigative reporter at The Lens, a nonprofit New Orleans news publication, covering local government, housing and labor issues. Before working at The Lens, Stein was a reporter for WWNO New Orleans Public Radio and freelanced for various national publications including The Intercept, The New Republic and Bloomberg\u2019s CityLab. He holds a bachelor\u2019s degree from the University of Michigan\u2019s Ford School of Public Policy.\nMORE FROM AUTHOR\nRELATED NEWS\nLawsuit shows growth in surveillance-based police stops,\u2026\nBY MICHAEL ISAAC STEIN, VERITE\nMarch 18, 2023\nSurveillance cameras recorded you. Who should be able to\u2026\nBY MICHAEL ISAAC STEIN, VERITE\nJanuary 14, 2023\nSHINING A LIGHT ON THE BAYOU STATE\nDemocracy Toolkit //\nRegister to vote\n|\nFind your voting precinct\n|\nBecome an election worker\n|\nConduct a voter registration drive\n|\nContact your state and federal lawmakers\nABOUT US\nThe Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization with a mission to cast light on how decisions in Baton Rouge are made and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians. Our in-depth investigations and news stories, news briefs and commentary help residents make sense of how state policies help or hurt them and their neighbors statewide.\nOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site.\nDEIJ Policy | Ethics Policy | Privacy Policy\n\u00a9 Louisiana Illuminator, 2023",
             "url": "https://lailluminator.com/2023/07/28/new-orleans-police-use-of-facial-recognition-nets-zero-arrests-in-9-months/",
-            "title": "New Orleans police use of facial recognition nets zero arrests in nine months"
+            "title": "New orleans police use of facial recognition nets zero arrests in nine months"
         }
     ]
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_preparing_for_three_months_of_salt_water_in_drinking_water_supply.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans preparing for Three Months of salt water in drinking water supply.json
similarity index 95%
rename from packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_preparing_for_three_months_of_salt_water_in_drinking_water_supply.json
rename to packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans preparing for Three Months of salt water in drinking water supply.json
index fd71faa1..bb9e8ed5 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_preparing_for_three_months_of_salt_water_in_drinking_water_supply.json
+++ b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New Orleans preparing for Three Months of salt water in drinking water supply.json	
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 {
     "messages": [
         {
-            "page_content": "Skip to main content\nHomes\nCalendar\nStore\nPublic Notices\nE-Edition\nNewsletters\nSubscribe for $1\nNew Orleans preparing for three months of salt water in drinking water supply\nBy MIKE SMITH | Staff writer\nSep 27, 2023\n1 min to read\nPipes carrying sediment crisscross the Mississippi River where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is building an underwater sill with that mud that should slow the flow of saltwater up the Mississippi River south of New Orleans on Tuesday, September 26, 2023. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)\nStaff photo by Chris Granger NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nNew Orleans may need to deal with salt threatening local drinking water supplies for as long as three months, meaning through January according to current forecasts, a top city official said Wednesday.\nCollin Arnold, New Orleans' homeland security chief, said that timeframe was based on advice from the Army Corps of Engineers.\nThe city, in cooperation with the surrounding region, is hoping to build a pipeline further upriver to pump water that would dilute the salt at treatment plants \u2014 an expensive plan, but one that could potentially be converted into a permanent solution.\n+2\nWhen will the saltwater wedge reach your drinking water system? Here's a timeline.\nPlans made to barge in 36 million gallons of fresh water a day\n\"About 90 days is what we've been told by the Corps of Engineers,\" Arnold said after addressing a City Council committee meeting on the subject. \n\"So we'd be looking at maybe the end of January under under those circumstances.\"\nArnold noted that caution was necessary when estimating timeframes given the unknowns related to the forecast, but said that was the current thinking. Sufficient rain must occur in the Mississippi River basin to flush out the salt moving up from the Gulf of Mexico.\nThe current forecast shows salt reaching the intakes for New Orleans' Carrollton water plant, which supplies water to the city's east bank, around Oct. 28. \nArnold said New Orleans and Jefferson Parish were now focusing on building a pipeline for the east bank in both parishes because barges delivering water would not provide sufficient capacity.\nCost estimates for the pipeline are anywhere from $100 million to $250 million, but federal funds could cover the majority given the White House's disaster declaration for the saltwater intrusion.\nArnold says he hopes construction could begin on the pipeline in seven to 10 days, so long as officials are able to get expedited contracting and approvals.\nContractors are offering assurances that the work could be completed despite the short timeframe, but officials are preparing for the possibility of making bottled water available if there is a gap. The city is also looking at water conservation methods, Arnold said.\nArnold stressed that the city's water remains safe and drinkable. He called on residents not to panic and said the situation was manageable. \nEmail Mike Smith at msmith@theadvocate.com or follow him on Twitter, @MikeJSmith504.\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nMORE INFORMATION\nEverything you need to know about salt water moving inland in Louisiana, including a tracker\nSalt water is creeping up the mouth of the Mississippi River and threatening the drinking supply of several parishes in Southeast Louisiana, i\u2026\nCantrell: Biden administration has issued disaster declaration on saltwater intrusion\nMayor LaToya Cantrell on Wednesday said President Joe Biden has moved forward with a federal disaster declaration for the saltwater intrusion \u2026\n+7\nHow would salt water affect my lawn, garden? Everything you need to know\nSaltwater incursion in the municipal water supply sounds scary. But gardeners shouldn't panic. This has happened before, as recently as 1988. \u2026\n+6\nWhite House declares emergency, pipeline planned as salt threatens drinking water\nThe White House declared an emergency Wednesday for four Louisiana parishes threatened by salt intrusion in drinking water and officials warne\u2026\n+4\nLive updates: Saltwater tracker shows latest location of intrusion near New Orleans\nAn intrusion of salt water moving up the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico is threatening local drinking water supplies. \n+12\nLead contamination could rise as salt water enters New Orleans-area water systems\nThere\u2019s growing concern that the impending intrusion of salt water in the region\u2019s drinking water systems could trigger a spike in lead contam\u2026\nTags\nFej\nThis Day in History\nSponsored by Connatix\nRecommended for you\nRecommended by\nSECTIONS\nHOME\nNEWS\nOPINION\nSPORTS\nENTERTAINMENT/LIFE\nNEWSLETTERS\nGAMES\nSERVICES\nCLASSIFIEDS\nSEARCH\nSUBSCRIBE | GROUPS\nDIGITAL ADVERTISING\nHELP/CONTACT US\nRSS FEEDS\nMEDIA KIT\nEEDITION\nCAREERS\nTEACHER'S LINK\nREVIEWING THE RECORD\nOUR SITES\nOBITUARIES\nJOBS\nCELEBRATIONS\nNIE\nCLASSIFIEDS\nHOMES\nPETS\nARCHIVES\nSTORE\nCONTACT INFORMATION\nnola.com\n840 St. Charles Avenue\nNew Orleans, LA 70130\nPhone: 504-529-0522\n\nNews Tips:\nnolanewstips@theadvocate.com\nOther questions:\nsubscriberservices@theadvocate.com\nNeed help?\nReport a delivery issue\nCreate a temporary stop\nSign up for recurring payments\nPay your bill\nUpdate your billing info\n\n\u00a9 Copyright 2023 NOLA.com 840 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA  | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy\nPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.\nThis website stores data such as cookies to enable essential website functionality, marketing, personalization and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. See updated terms and conditions.\n ",
+            "page_content": "Skip to main content\nHomes\nCalendar\nStore\nPublic Notices\nE-Edition\nNewsletters\nSubscribe for $1\nNew Orleans preparing for three months of salt water in drinking water supply\nBy MIKE SMITH | Staff writer\nSep 27, 2023\n1 min to read\nPipes carrying sediment crisscross the Mississippi River where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is building an underwater sill with that mud that should slow the flow of saltwater up the Mississippi River south of New Orleans on Tuesday, September 26, 2023. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)\nStaff photo by Chris Granger NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nNew Orleans may need to deal with salt threatening local drinking water supplies for as long as three months, meaning through January according to current forecasts, a top city official said Wednesday.\nCollin Arnold, New Orleans' homeland security chief, said that timeframe was based on advice from the Army Corps of Engineers.\nThe city, in cooperation with the surrounding region, is hoping to build a pipeline further upriver to pump water that would dilute the salt at treatment plants \u2014 an expensive plan, but one that could potentially be converted into a permanent solution.\n+2\nWhen will the saltwater wedge reach your drinking water system? Here's a timeline.\nPlans made to barge in 36 million gallons of fresh water a day\n\"About 90 days is what we've been told by the Corps of Engineers,\" Arnold said after addressing a City Council committee meeting on the subject. \n\"So we'd be looking at maybe the end of January under under those circumstances.\"\nArnold noted that caution was necessary when estimating timeframes given the unknowns related to the forecast, but said that was the current thinking. Sufficient rain must occur in the Mississippi River basin to flush out the salt moving up from the Gulf of Mexico.\nThe current forecast shows salt reaching the intakes for New Orleans' Carrollton water plant, which supplies water to the city's east bank, around Oct. 28. \nArnold said New Orleans and Jefferson Parish were now focusing on building a pipeline for the east bank in both parishes because barges delivering water would not provide sufficient capacity.\nCost estimates for the pipeline are anywhere from $100 million to $250 million, but federal funds could cover the majority given the White House's disaster declaration for the saltwater intrusion.\nArnold says he hopes construction could begin on the pipeline in seven to 10 days, so long as officials are able to get expedited contracting and approvals.\nContractors are offering assurances that the work could be completed despite the short timeframe, but officials are preparing for the possibility of making bottled water available if there is a gap. The city is also looking at water conservation methods, Arnold said.\nArnold stressed that the city's water remains safe and drinkable. He called on residents not to panic and said the situation was manageable. \nEmail Mike Smith at msmith@theadvocate.com or follow him on Twitter, @MikeJSmith504.\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nMORE INFORMATION\nEverything you need to know about salt water moving inland in Louisiana, including a tracker\nSalt water is creeping up the mouth of the Mississippi River and threatening the drinking supply of several parishes in Southeast Louisiana, i\u2026\nCantrell: Biden administration has issued disaster declaration on saltwater intrusion\nMayor LaToya Cantrell on Wednesday said President Joe Biden has moved forward with a federal disaster declaration for the saltwater intrusion \u2026\n+7\nHow would salt water affect my lawn, garden? Everything you need to know\nSaltwater incursion in the municipal water supply sounds scary. But gardeners shouldn't panic. This has happened before, as recently as 1988. \u2026\n+6\nWhite House declares emergency, pipeline planned as salt threatens drinking water\nThe White House declared an emergency Wednesday for four Louisiana parishes threatened by salt intrusion in drinking water and officials warne\u2026\n+4\nLive updates: Saltwater tracker shows latest location of intrusion near New Orleans\nAn intrusion of salt water moving up the Mississippi River from the Gulf of Mexico is threatening local drinking water supplies. \n+12\nLead contamination could rise as salt water enters New Orleans-area water systems\nThere\u2019s growing concern that the impending intrusion of salt water in the region\u2019s drinking water systems could trigger a spike in lead contam\u2026\nTags\nFej\nThis Day in History\nSponsored by Connatix\nRecommended for you\nRecommended by\nSECTIONS\nHOME\nNEWS\nOPINION\nSPORTS\nENTERTAINMENT/LIFE\nNEWSLETTERS\nGAMES\nSERVICES\nCLASSIFIEDS\nSEARCH\nSUBSCRIBE | GROUPS\nDIGITAL ADVERTISING\nHELP/CONTACT US\nRSS FEEDS\nMEDIA KIT\nEEDITION\nCAREERS\nTEACHER'S LINK\nREVIEWING THE RECORD\nOUR SITES\nOBITUARIES\nJOBS\nCELEBRATIONS\nNIE\nCLASSIFIEDS\nHOMES\nPETS\nARCHIVES\nSTORE\nCONTACT INFORMATION\nnola.com\n840 St. Charles Avenue\nNew Orleans, LA 70130\nPhone: 504-529-0522\n\nNews Tips:\nnolanewstips@theadvocate.com\nOther questions:\nsubscriberservices@theadvocate.com\nNeed help?\nReport a delivery issue\nCreate a temporary stop\nSign up for recurring payments\nPay your bill\nUpdate your billing info\n\n\u00a9 Copyright 2023 NOLA.com 840 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA  | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy\nPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.\n  This website stores data such as cookies to enable essential website functionality, marketing, personalization and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. See updated terms and conditions.",
             "url": "https://www.nola.com/news/environment/new-orleans-prepares-for-three-months-of-salt-intrusion/article_03452ac2-5d64-11ee-ba66-2fb982d2b7c1.html",
-            "title": "New Orleans preparing for three months of salt water in drinking water supply"
+            "title": "New orleans preparing for three months of salt water in drinking water supply"
         }
     ]
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_S&WB_needs_sweeping_changes_if_it_wants_to_avoid_more_pitfalls,_BGR_says.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New orleans SWB needs sweeping changes if it wants to avoid more pitfalls BGR says.json
similarity index 99%
rename from packages/backend/src/news_directory/New_Orleans_S&WB_needs_sweeping_changes_if_it_wants_to_avoid_more_pitfalls,_BGR_says.json
rename to packages/backend/src/news_directory/New orleans SWB needs sweeping changes if it wants to avoid more pitfalls BGR says.json
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         {
             "page_content": "Skip to main content\nHomes\nCalendar\nStore\nPublic Notices\nE-Edition\nNewsletters\nSubscribe for $1\nNew Orleans S&WB needs sweeping changes if it wants to avoid more pitfalls, BGR says\nBY BEN MYERS | Staff writer\nMay 17, 2023\n5 min to read\n1 of 2\nNew Orleans Sewerage & Water Board executive director Ghassan Korban stands in the control room as employees monitor weather at the Carrollton Water Plant on June 10, 2022.\nSTAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nThe New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board is overseen by a board controlled by the mayor. Its funding is determined by the City Council, and it is regulated by the Louisiana Legislature\u2019s laws.\nThat serving of three masters is the reason for historic neglect of the city\u2019s water infrastructure, leading to drainage failures, boil water advisories and a lack of accountability that worsen the risks of living in an already vulnerable city.\nThat is according to a new report from the Bureau of Governmental Research, which called for sweeping changes to the S&WB\u2019s governing structure. Either the S&WB needs to be abolished and folded completely into city government, or it needs far greater autonomy, the report said.\nStorm clouds move in around the Sewerage and Water Board water tower closest to Claiborne Av. at the Carrollton Water Plant in New Orleans, Friday, June 10, 2022. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)\nSophia Germer\n\u201cThe status quo is not serving us well. We really need to choose one path or the other,\u201d said Rebecca Mowbray, BGR\u2019s chief executive. \u201cThe structure of the Sewerage and Water Board is really the root cause of a lot of the water-related problems that New Orleanians experience.\u201d\nMany of the recommendations are a repeat from 2011, when the BGR suggested a series of measures to strengthen the S&WB\u2019s independence. The report, issued Wednesday, reups some of those suggestions, such as creating metrics for the City Council to approve rate proposals and tax levies.\nConverting the utility to a city department is a new suggestion, one that BGR previously said was a bad idea because of City Hall dysfunction.\nMowbray said city leaders, including Mayor LaToya Cantrell, seem to have grown more focused on drainage after repeated street flooding in 2017. Still, the report says consolidation would require extensive planning to ensure City Hall is capable of subsuming 1,300 employees, an annual capital budget $440 million and another $580 million in outstanding debt.  \nOfficials open to changes\nA Sewerage and Water Board sticker is stuck to machinery inside a water tower at the Carrollton Water Plant in New Orleans, Friday, June 10, 2022. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)\nSophia Germer\nCantrell and four council members who responded to inquiries said they were still weighing the report, but they were either open to consolidation or didn\u2019t reject it.\n\u201cPlacing the Sewerage & Water Board under city control as a city department would seem to be the best solution for coordination of systems,\u201d District D Council member Eugene Green said in a statement.\nA spokesperson for City Council President JP Morrell said he was still reviewing the report, but said that the legislature has too much control over the local utility.\nCantrell said the BGR is \u201csaying what the Sewerage and Water Board has been saying for years, which is that our governing structure is too complex.\u201d\nDuring a news conference Wednesday, Cantrell said she would work with the board to come up \u201cthe best next steps.\" In a statement, the S&WB said the report \"accurately characterizes the challenges we face, and we welcome the recommendation of an assessment of our governance structure, including either path forward the report suggests.\"\nSewerage and Water Board employees work in the boiler room at the Carrollton Water Plant in New Orleans, Friday, June 10, 2022. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)\nSophia Germer\nCatch basin issue\nFolding the S&WB into city government would end the division of labor between the S&WB and City Hall when it comes to different parts of the drainage system. The S&WB controls the primary pipes and pumping stations that push storm water out of the city, but the Department of Public Works maintains catch basins and smaller pipes that feed into the parts that the S&WB controls.\nThat arrangement \u2014 unique among 51 peer cities, according to BGR \u2014 has been a coordination nightmare and contributed to the 2017 floods, according to an analysis.\nThe Sewerage and Water Board's Carrollton plant is shown Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021.\nSTAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD\nCity Council Vice President Helena Moreno has long championed giving control for all drainage components to the S&WB, in line with the BGR. But Moreno and the BGR differ when it comes to giving the S&WB funding for the additional workload.\nThe BGR says a storm water fee is likely needed. Moreno said merging the two systems would create cost savings.\n\u201cThis remains a no brainer situation,\u201d Moreno said in a prepared statement. \u201cThe operations and efficiency of (the S&WB) must improve and a drainage merger is a critical step that can\u2019t come soon enough.\u201d\nState oversight\nThe S&WB is subject to more than 80 state laws, giving lawmakers from every corner of the state a say in how the city\u2019s water systems are regulated.\nAnd with the mayor serving as the board president of a state-created utility, there is confusion over who is ultimately accountable for its management, .\nWater rates and tax levies are approved by the City Council, which, according to BGR, tends to cave to political pressure to keep rates low. That political pressure increases as infrastructure and public confidence erodes, and the cost burden gets kicked to future generations.\n\u201cThe City Council's hand in setting rates, it now injects too much politics,\u201d Cantrell told reporters on Wednesday. By the same token, the council lacks other ways to hold the S&WB accountable, the report says.\n\u201cOne of the few cards that they can really play is to raise hell about funding,\u201d Mowbray said.\nBilling woes\nThat dynamic surfaced last year, when the council refused to consider rate hikes until the S&WB fixed a meter reading system known to produce wildly inflated bills. The utility also has faced criticism for its difficult-to-navigate appeals process.\nWorkers investigate after an explosion at the the Sewerage & Water Board\u00d5s Carrollton water plant in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. Three workers were injured in the explosion that harmed two turbines.\nStaff photo by SOPHIA GERMER\nTo take politics out of utility funding, BGR recommends the council adopt a matrix for evaluating the S&WB\u2019s funding proposals. District A City Council member Joe Giarrusso said he\u2019s not opposed to the idea, but that council members\u2019 discretion should not be discarded entirely.\n\u201cIf billing isn\u2019t fixed, how do you go to the public who feels like they\u2019re paying more money than they should, and then say, by the way, we\u2019ve increased your sewer and water rates?\u201d Giarrusso said.\nMowbray credited Cantrell for hiring the S&WB\u2019s current executive director, Ghassan Korban, a civil engineer who previously ran Milwaukee\u2019s public works.\nWater flows into the street after an explosion at the Sewerage & Water Board\u00d5s Carrollton water plant in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. Three workers were injured in the explosion that harmed two turbines.\nStaff photo by SOPHIA GERMER\nUnder Korban\u2019s leadership, the S&WB has initiated capital projects to replace its drainage power and underground meters, both considered critical to improving the utility\u2019s service.\nThose two projects alone will run more than $350 million, however, and are part of the reason the S&WB is looking for more revenue.\nAs he has before, Giarrusso said the S&WB should do more to collect on delinquent bills. The S&WB says it was owed $60 million from bills more than 60 days late at the end of March.\nThe S&WB and City Council relationship is at a low point, with the council voting unanimously on May 11 to sue the S&WB for refusing to comply with some parts of new city ordinances related to billing.\nGlass lays on the ground on Spruce street behind the Sewerage & Water Board\u00d5s Carrollton water plant in New Orleans, Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019. Three workers were injured in the explosion that harmed two turbines.\nStaff photo by SOPHIA GERMER\nThat vote prompted Cantrell to order District C City Council member Freddie King to leave an S&WB executive session on Thursday about the possible upcoming litigation.\nKing serves as the council\u2019s representative on the S&WB, and the episode illustrated another issue identified by the BGR: the City Council representative on the S&WB is inherently conflicted, according to the report.\nGiarrusso said he understood why Cantrell booted King from the executive session, but disagreed that a council representative on the board is problematic.\nStill, he agreed there are too many cooks in the kitchen at the S&WB.\n\u201cWhen you have multiple responsibilities in government for a single function, you're almost destined for failure,\u201d Giarrusso said.\nEmail Ben Myers at bmyers@theadvocate.com. Follow Ben Myers on Twitter, @blevimyers.\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nTags\nHardwall\nThis Day in History\nSponsored by Connatix\nRecommended for you\nRecommended by\nSECTIONS\nHOME\nNEWS\nOPINION\nSPORTS\nENTERTAINMENT/LIFE\nNEWSLETTERS\nGAMES\nSERVICES\nCLASSIFIEDS\nSEARCH\nSUBSCRIBE | GROUPS\nDIGITAL ADVERTISING\nHELP/CONTACT US\nRSS FEEDS\nMEDIA KIT\nEEDITION\nCAREERS\nTEACHER'S LINK\nREVIEWING THE RECORD\nOUR SITES\nOBITUARIES\nJOBS\nCELEBRATIONS\nNIE\nCLASSIFIEDS\nHOMES\nPETS\nARCHIVES\nSTORE\nCONTACT INFORMATION\nnola.com\n840 St. Charles Avenue\nNew Orleans, LA 70130\nPhone: 504-529-0522\n\nNews Tips:\nnolanewstips@theadvocate.com\nOther questions:\nsubscriberservices@theadvocate.com\nNeed help?\nReport a delivery issue\nCreate a temporary stop\nSign up for recurring payments\nPay your bill\nUpdate your billing info\n\n\u00a9 Copyright 2023 NOLA.com 840 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA  | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy\nPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.\nThis website stores data such as cookies to enable essential website functionality, marketing, personalization and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. See updated terms and conditions.\n ",
             "url": "https://www.nola.com/news/politics/swb-needs-major-changes-to-avoid-more-failures-bgr-says/article_1d13e9c8-f50b-11ed-9c45-67da1c67c50c.html",
-            "title": "New Orleans S&WB needs sweeping changes if it wants to avoid more pitfalls, BGR says"
+            "title": "New orleans SWB needs sweeping changes if it wants to avoid more pitfalls BGR says"
         }
     ]
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New orleans council tables plan to restrict food distribution in homeless encampments.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/New orleans council tables plan to restrict food distribution in homeless encampments.json
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@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+{
+    "messages": [
+        {
+            "page_content": "Skip to main content\nHomes\nCalendar\nStore\nPublic Notices\nE-Edition\nNewsletters\nSubscribe for $1\nNew Orleans council tables plan to restrict food distribution in homeless encampments\nAdvocates said the measure would send the wrong message.\nBY SOPHIE KASAKOVE | Staff writer\nJul 24, 2023\n3 min to read\n1 of 16\nThe homeless encampments under and near the Pontchartrain Expressway in New Orleans Monday July 24, 2023. The City council members considered an ordinance Monday that would restrict the distribution of food to homeless encampments. They cited issues with food dumping leading to rodent infestations. But the proposal spurred pushback from advocates who say that the more pressing issue is the city's failure to maintain sanitary conditions at the encampments, due to insufficient trashcans and portable toilet sanitation Monday, July 24, 2023. (Staff Photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)\nSTAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nThe City Council on Monday tabled a proposal to restrict the distribution of food in New Orleans' growing homeless encampments after advocates and community members said the measure would discourage donations to people experiencing homelessness and that it failed to address the city's own failure to maintain sanitary conditions.\nThe proposed ordinance, drafted by councilmembers Eugene Green, Oliver Thomas, and Freddie King, would have banned the delivery of food to a homeless encampment unless donors removed waste or excess food themselves. A violation would be punishable with a fine of up to $500 or six months in jail, or both, at the discretion of a judge.\nIn the days leading up to the meeting and in the council's crowded chambers Monday, advocates deplored an ordinance many said they interpreted as criminalizing the act of giving food to people who need it. \nGreen emphasized repeatedly throughout the hours-long council meeting that the bill did not penalize food distribution, but rather leaving waste that can attract rodents \u2014 perhaps by hosts stuck with leftovers after a catered event or restaurants at the end of the night. But he agreed ultimately that the ordinance's wording needed work. \nAnother bill drafted by Councilmember Lesli Harris that would have created a communications campaign directing people to donate to local charities rather than providing food directly to the homeless encampments was also deferred. \nThe two false starts highlight the council's struggle to address a crisis in the city's homeless encampments, where an increasing number of people face unsanitary and dangerous conditions. \n\"Encampment conditions are probably the worst that I have ever seen them,\" said Taylor Diles, environmental health coordinator for the New Orleans Health Department and part of a panel of experts convened to report on camp conditions, told the council Monday. \"We have really areas that are overrun with rodents; it's a really significant challenge.\"\nHomelessness in the city has increased by 15% between 2022 and 2023, said Martha Kegel, executive director of UNITY of Greater New Orleans, a homeless services organization. It's the largest increase in homelessness since Hurricane Katrina. \nThe growth in the size of the city's encampments means that cleaning them now takes significantly longer, said Diles. And after the Police Department said in early 2023 that there were not enough officers to support weekly cleaning, the Health Department has moved to a biweekly schedule. \nDr. Jennifer Avegno, director of that department, agreed with the council that dumping of inedible or unsafe food has created additional sanitation problems.\n\"For various reasons, individuals and organizations frankly dump things that are really unfit for any consumption,\" said Avegno. \"We've seen boxes and boxes of rotten bananas, trays and plates of raw meat.\"\nBut other panelists said the majority of the donated food is safe and necessary.\n\"Hunger is very, very serious in the encampments,\" said Angela Owczarek, a street outreach worker with Travelers Aid Society, who said people in encampments often rely on donations from passersby for food after many of the homeless services organizations have finished their daily distributions. \nFar more pressing than food dumping, Owczarek said, is the city's failure to provide enough trash cans and keep portable toilets clean. \nMany encampments have no trashcans at all, said Owczarek. People in the encampments have begun using portable toilets as trash receptacles instead, Dr. Avegno said, making them difficult for the company contracted to service the toilets to clean them. In recent months, the company, United Rentals, has instead begun shoveling the contents of the toilets, including human waste, directly onto the ground, advocates said.\nDepartment of Sanitation director Matt Torri told the council that the distribution of additional trash cans had been held up by a delay on the shipment of chains that would prevent people from taking them. He said the department received the equipment Monday and would begin installing the cans immediately. Diles said the Health Department is working to come up with a better reporting system to hold United Rentals accountable for proper servicing. \nThe city recently recently appropriated millions of dollars to a project to address homelessness, including a $738,000 contract with Clutch Consulting Group, which will work with UNITY to house residents of the camps. But Kegel said that even that sweeping effort won't solve the issue as new people lose housing every day, struggling with high rents and a shortage of affordable units.\n\"Until we really invest more heavily in affordable housing, I don\u2019t see an end in sight,\" said Kegel. \nAnother bill, drafted by Harris, that would allow city crews to dispose of appliances like refrigerators, microwaves, or air conditioners, dumped food, and property deemed abandoned \u2014 unless the items are determined to be personal property \u2014 will be voted on by the council on Thursday.\nEditor's note: This story was changed July 26 to correct the amount of the City's contract with Clutch Consulting Group. \nEmail Sophie Kasakove at Sophie.Kasakove@TheAdvocate.com or follow her on Twitter, @Sophie_Kasakove.\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nTags\nHardwall\nThis Day in History\nSponsored by Connatix\nRecommended for you\nRecommended by\nSECTIONS\nHOME\nNEWS\nOPINION\nSPORTS\nENTERTAINMENT/LIFE\nNEWSLETTERS\nGAMES\nSERVICES\nCLASSIFIEDS\nSEARCH\nSUBSCRIBE | GROUPS\nDIGITAL ADVERTISING\nHELP/CONTACT US\nRSS FEEDS\nMEDIA KIT\nEEDITION\nCAREERS\nTEACHER'S LINK\nREVIEWING THE RECORD\nOUR SITES\nOBITUARIES\nJOBS\nCELEBRATIONS\nNIE\nCLASSIFIEDS\nHOMES\nPETS\nARCHIVES\nSTORE\nCONTACT INFORMATION\nnola.com\n840 St. Charles Avenue\nNew Orleans, LA 70130\nPhone: 504-529-0522\n\nNews Tips:\nnolanewstips@theadvocate.com\nOther questions:\nsubscriberservices@theadvocate.com\nNeed help?\nReport a delivery issue\nCreate a temporary stop\nSign up for recurring payments\nPay your bill\nUpdate your billing info\n\n\u00a9 Copyright 2023 NOLA.com 840 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA  | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy\nPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.\nThis website stores data such as cookies to enable essential website functionality, marketing, personalization and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. See updated terms and conditions.\n ",
+            "url": "https://www.nola.com/news/politics/council-tables-plan-to-bar-food-distribution-to-homeless/article_1ba8e916-2a40-11ee-bcb2-dbfdb794bc4f.html",
+            "title": "New orleans council tables plan to restrict food distribution in homeless encampments"
+        }
+    ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/On politics SWB floats rolling forward tax rate JP morrell vs city attorney A housing failure.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/On politics SWB floats rolling forward tax rate JP morrell vs city attorney A housing failure.json
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@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+{
+    "messages": [
+        {
+            "page_content": "Skip to main content\nHomes\nCalendar\nStore\nPublic Notices\nE-Edition\nNewsletters\nSubscribe for $1\nOn Politics: S&WB floats rolling forward tax rate; JP Morrell vs. city attorney; a housing failure\nBY BEN MYERS and SOPHIE KASAKOVE | Staff writers Oct 8, 2023\n4 min to read\nGhassan Korban, Executive Director of the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans, listens as Governor John Bel Edwards holds a press conference with parish officials about the saltwater traveling up the Mississippi River, at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Friday, Sept. 22, 2023. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune)\nSTAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nMayor LaToya Cantrell and the City Council responded in unison last July when Assessor Errol Williams announced that citywide property assessments had jumped by more than 20%.\nThey said City Hall would not \u201croll forward\u201d property tax rates under its control, meaning property owners would not face additional liability for a little more than half of all citywide millages.\nBut the Sewerage & Water Board\u2019s executive director, Ghassan Korban, has different ideas than his elected overseers when it comes to the utility\u2019s tax rates. At the board\u2019s Sept. 20 meeting, he said that he will argue for a roll forward, as the S&WB is in full tree-shaking mode to pay for a critical drainage power upgrade and a citywide meter replacement project.\nKorban seemed to recognize the odds are against him since the council has final say over the S&WB\u2019s millage rates.\n\u201cThe city council could reject our request, but I feel strongly that we need to make that request,\u201d Korban said.\nKorban\u2019s position could create an awkward situation for Cantrell, the board\u2019s chairperson, who, along with other board members, would vote on the roll forward before sending the request to the council.\nCantrell, while not addressing the S&WB specifically, has been unambiguously opposed to increasing tax burdens on homeowners who have seen astronomical insurance increases since Hurricane Ida.\n\u201cI don't believe that the time is now to roll forward,\u201d Cantrell said at a community meeting in Gentilly on July 25. \u201cThis is something that we can continue to discuss. But I will say right now, I'm not changing relative to the roll forward.\u201d\nState law automatically \u201crolls back\u201d tax rates when property assessments increase, but taxing bodies then have the option to restore existing rates to reap the additional revenue.\nIn addition to the S&WB, the City Council approves property taxes for a range of services, including public safety, libraries, parks and recreation and early childhood education. The S&WB drainage taxes bring in about $81 million annually under current rates.\nThe roll forward would bring in an additional $11 million annually for the S&WB, costing the owner of a $350,000 home an extra $89.76 per year, after factoring in a homestead exemption.\nDonald Trump's lawyer? \nTensions between the City Council and City Attorney\u2019s Office surfaced again this week, with Council President JP Morrell passing a measure to require his signature on legal contracts and telling City Attorney Donesia Turner she is \u201clike a Donald Trump lawyer.\u201d\nThat last zinger, from the Democratic council member to the appointee of a Democratic mayor, came during a council hearing to consider removing Mayor LaToya Cantrell\u2019s communications director, Gregory Joseph, over his role in sending a glossy mailer promoting Cantrell to likely voters.\nA Morrell-led council investigation concluded the flier was illegally financed with city funds, since it arrived at the height of the failed recall campaign targeting the mayor. \nThe council is now considering removing Joseph under a rarely (if ever) used city charter provision giving the council authority to remove unclassified officials for gross misconduct and other offenses. A vote on Joseph\u2019s removal was scheduled for Tuesday, but he didn\u2019t show up. \nInstead, it was Turner who appeared and requested a two-week continuance to allow Joseph to find a lawyer. That irked Morrell, who protested that Turner was already representing Joseph by appearing in council chambers on his behalf. \nMorrell was also unhappy with Joseph\u2019s public comments, including a social media post shortly before the hearing on Tuesday, that Morrell said made a mockery of the proceedings. \n\u201cThis is Donald Trump levels of insane, as you're sitting here saying he takes the process seriously,\u201d Morrell said.\nWhen Turner said she doesn\u2019t follow Joseph\u2019s social media, Morrell retorted that \u201cyou sound like a Donald Trump lawyer.\u201d\nNew Orleans City Council member JP Morrell.\nSTAFF FILE PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER\n\u201cI am not a Donald Trump lawyer. Maybe Donald Trump has very good lawyers, as I am one,\u201d Turner replied. \u201cBut I cannot explain a post that Mr. Joseph posted and I have not seen.\u201d\nThat exchange followed the council\u2019s vote last month to freeze $6.7 million from the City Attorney\u2019s Office budget, a move aimed at stalling outside legal contracts. Council members said the administration had cut them out of the loop on legal strategies in various matters, and the goal was to force better cooperation. The budget freeze remained in effect as of this week.\nMorrell on Thursday took it another step, passing a measure to require the council president\u2019s signature on all legal contracts in the future. \n\u201cWe tend to find out well after the fact when legal services have been engaged on the city\u2019s behalf, representing both the administration and the council, and this simply inserts us in the hiring process,\u201d Morrell said before the vote.\nNew Orleans flunks housing \u2014 again \nNew Orleans got another failing grade for its lackluster effort to provide affordable housing, according to HousingNOLA\u2019s annual report card for the city.\nThe last time the city got a passing grade was in 2019, when the advocacy group awarded a D.  \n\u201cThere\u2019s no way around the fact that the powers that be in the City of New Orleans, and the state as a whole, would rather put on sideshows than address one of the greatest crises we face,\u201d the report begins.\nThe city has fallen short on expanding affordable housing supply, enforcing fair housing policy and encouraging sustainable design, the report argues. \nAndreanecia Morris with Housing NOLA at her office on Tuesday, October 11, 2022. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)\nSTAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER\nMore than 67,000 households in New Orleans, or 42%, are considered \"cost burdened,\" meaning more than 30% of income goes to housing costs, according to the report. And just 102 units were added to the city's housing supply between September 2022 and August 2023 \u2014 a drop in the bucket of what is needed. \n\u201cIf we do not address these problems, New Orleans is facing a mass level displacement event,\u201d said Andreanecia Morris, director of HousingNOLA at a press conference about the report on Thursday.\nThe mayor\u2019s office did not respond to a request for comment about HousingNOLA\u2019s report\nEmail Ben Myers at bmyers@theadvocate.com. Follow Ben Myers on Twitter, @blevimyers.\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nTags\nHardwall\nThis Day in History\nSponsored by Connatix\nRecommended for you\nRecommended by\nSECTIONS\nHOME\nNEWS\nOPINION\nSPORTS\nENTERTAINMENT/LIFE\nNEWSLETTERS\nGAMES\nSERVICES\nCLASSIFIEDS\nSEARCH\nSUBSCRIBE | GROUPS\nDIGITAL ADVERTISING\nHELP/CONTACT US\nRSS FEEDS\nMEDIA KIT\nEEDITION\nCAREERS\nTEACHER'S LINK\nREVIEWING THE RECORD\nOUR SITES\nOBITUARIES\nJOBS\nCELEBRATIONS\nNIE\nCLASSIFIEDS\nHOMES\nPETS\nARCHIVES\nSTORE\nCONTACT INFORMATION\nnola.com\n840 St. Charles Avenue\nNew Orleans, LA 70130\nPhone: 504-529-0522\n\nNews Tips:\nnolanewstips@theadvocate.com\nOther questions:\nsubscriberservices@theadvocate.com\nNeed help?\nReport a delivery issue\nCreate a temporary stop\nSign up for recurring payments\nPay your bill\nUpdate your billing info\n\n\u00a9 Copyright 2023 NOLA.com 840 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA  | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy\nPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.\n  This website stores data such as cookies to enable essential website functionality, marketing, personalization and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. See updated terms and conditions.",
+            "url": "https://www.nola.com/news/politics/new-orleans-swb-floats-rolling-forward-tax-rate/article_a6ce3f46-6474-11ee-b72f-b7a906a8f9ef.html",
+            "title": "On politics SWB floats rolling forward tax rate JP morrell vs city attorney A housing failure"
+        }
+    ]
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Some New Orleans City Council members voice concerns over mayor's consent decree hearing stance.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Some New Orleans City Council members voice concerns over mayor's consent decree hearing stance.json
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--- a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/Some New Orleans City Council members voice concerns over mayor's consent decree hearing stance.json	
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-{
-    "messages": [
-        {
-            "page_content": "NOWCAST\nWDSU News at 5pm\nWatch on Demand\nMENU\n74\u00b0\nWEATHER\nSEVERE WEATHER There are currently 3 active weather alerts\n1 / 2\nAdvertisement\nSome New Orleans City Council members voice concerns over mayor's consent decree hearing stance\nShare\nUpdated: 8:55 AM CDT Apr 11, 2023\nInfinite Scroll Enabled\nCassie Schirm\nInvestigative Reporter\nPlay Video\nGET LOCAL BREAKING NEWS ALERTS\nThe latest breaking updates, delivered straight to your email inbox.\nYour Email Address\nSUBMIT\nPrivacy Notice\nNEW ORLEANS \u2014\nSome New Orleans City Council members are voicing their concerns over Mayor LaToya Cantrell's stance on city employees attending public consent decree hearings.\nMayor Cantrell issued a statement a few weeks ago barring any city employees from attending public consent decree meetings without her consent.\nAdvertisement\nThis was a move that Interim Superintendent Michelle Woodfork asked for the mayor's support on, saying the hearings didn't focus on constitutional policing and wasted resources.\nThe federal judge overseeing the hearings ordered certain city employees to attend the next hearing after the last meeting was canceled due to the mayor's decision on attendance.\nNew Orleans Council President J.P. Morrell, Vice President Helena Moreno, Joseph I. Giarrusso and Leslie Harris issued a letter to several judges voicing their concerns over the mayor's actions.\nThe letter says the fighting is a \"direct attack on democratic values,\" and \"a waste of resources.\nThey asked for a \"greater collaboration\" between the courts and the city to avoid unnecessary fees.\nRecommended\nVoter registation deadlines for October elections\nThe letter goes on to say that although the council could not control the mayor, they would consider how public funding is used if the problem surrounding attendance at the meetings persists.\nThe next public consent decree hearing is scheduled for April 12.\nTOP PICKS\nAmazon Prime Big Deal Days 2023: The best deals we're seeing for October Prime Day event\nRossen Reports: 5 things in your house you didn\u2019t know expire\nA mom shielding her son from gunmen and a 'pro-peace' academic are among the Americans killed in Israel\nWhat is Hamas?\nWDSU NEW ORLEANS\nContact Us\nNews Team\nApps & Social\nEmail Alerts\nCareers\nInternships\nAdvertise\nDigital Advertising Terms & Conditions\nBroadcast Terms & Conditions\nRSS\nEEO Reports\nCaptioning Contacts\nPublic Inspection File\nPublic File Assistance\nFCC Applications\nNews Policy Statements\nHearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.\n\u00a92023, Hearst Television Inc. on behalf of WDSU-TV.\nPrivacy Notice\nYour California Privacy Rights\nInterest-Based Ads\nTerms of Use\nSite Map",
-            "url": "https://www.wdsu.com/article/new-orleans-council-members-consent-decree-mayor-concerns/43556031",
-            "title": "Some New Orleans City Council members voice concerns over mayor's consent decree hearing stance"
-        }
-    ]
-}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/failed_urls.log b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/failed_urls.log
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..97da3486
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/failed_urls.log
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+https://thelensnola.org/2022/12/02/council-approves-2023-budget-with-surprise-addition-of-124m-in-federal-coronavirus-relief-spending/
+https://www.wdsu.com/article/new-orleans-council-members-consent-decree-mayor-concerns/43556031
+https://fightbacknews.org/articles/city-new-orleans-attempts-exit-consent-decree-protesters-demand-community-control-police
diff --git a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/No_excuses_Frustrated_council_members_press_Richards_Disposal_over_garbage_failures.json b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/no excuses Frustrated council members press richard s disposal over garbage failures.json
similarity index 77%
rename from packages/backend/src/news_directory/No_excuses_Frustrated_council_members_press_Richards_Disposal_over_garbage_failures.json
rename to packages/backend/src/news_directory/no excuses Frustrated council members press richard s disposal over garbage failures.json
index f392cc8d..aab0e5f9 100644
--- a/packages/backend/src/news_directory/No_excuses_Frustrated_council_members_press_Richards_Disposal_over_garbage_failures.json
+++ b/packages/backend/src/news_directory/no excuses Frustrated council members press richard s disposal over garbage failures.json	
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 {
     "messages": [
         {
-            "page_content": "Skip to main content\nFun & Free\nNewsletter\nAdvertise\nClassifieds\nCalendar\nBECOME A MEMBER\n\u2018No excuses\u2019: Frustrated council members press Richard\u2019s Disposal over garbage failures\nBY SARAH RAVITS\nJan 6, 2023\nA Richard's Disposal truck \nPHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD/ THE TIMES-PICAYUNE\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nFrustrated New Orleans City Council members are demanding swift action from Mayor LaToya Cantrell\u2019s administration to resolve Richard\u2019s Disposal\u2019s ongoing failure to haul off residential waste. \nCouncil members Freddie King, Joe Giarrusso and Lesli Harris issued a joint statement Friday, calling on the Department of Sanitation to come up with new plans, citing escalating public health concerns and a declining quality of life for fed-up residents who have complained for months about missed pickups and overflowing, festering bins.   \n\u201cThere can be no excuses,\u201d said Giarrusso, who represents District A. \u201cThe trash needs to be collected. This is urgent. This is about delivering basic services. This is a public health issue. The solution is self-evident: Immediate supplementation must be provided with a focus on the missed routes.\u201d  \nThe call for action is part of the Council\u2019s ongoing push to get waste management on track in New Orleans.\nAlthough overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Metro Services' trash collection woes, Richard's record has also been inadequate for much of the last year and a half following Hurricane Ida.  \n\u201cThe lack of basic trash and recycling pickup service is unacceptable,\u201d District B's Harris said. \u201cIt\u2019s time for the City to get to the bottom of this issue. The Department of Sanitation must announce a plan to stabilize trash collection across Service Area 2.\u201d \nFor months, residents in the service area \u2014 which encompasses large swaths of Uptown, Mid-City, Broadmoor, Gentilly, Ninth Ward and Algiers, have been in distress over the city\u2019s failure to provide this basic municipal service. \n\u201cWe are still seeing a high volume of calls about missed trash and recycling collections in District C on both sides of the river,\u201d said King. \u201cThis issue does not seem to be improving.\"  \nAs Carnival season kicks off, the council members emphasized the need for swift action as the city\u2019s population is expected to swell with tourists and celebrations in the coming weeks.  \nHarris, who chairs the council\u2019s Quality of Life Committee, said, \u201cit should not be the responsibility of residents to constantly report missed pickups.\"  \nCantrell's administration also acknowledged the problem Friday afternoon and issued a statement, saying they were confident that they will find a solution. \"The City of New Orleans is aware of Richard's failure to live up to the demands of its contract,\" a spokesperson said. \"The administration has been working toward a solution that will ensure the residents will receive the sanitations they pay for and that they deserve.\"  \nThis story has been updated with a statement from the Cantrell administration.  \nBECOME A GAMBIT MEMBER AND JOIN OUR KREWE TODAY\nFor more than 40 years, Gambit has covered New Orleans, for New Orleans. We\u2019ve stood up to city hall with you, cheered the Saints with you, danced in the streets with you and cried over our collective loss with you. And we\u2019re plannin\u2019 on being here for 40 more. To do that, we need your help. Become a Gambit member today and help us continue our mission\nSUPPORT GAMBIT\nEmail Sarah Ravits at sravits@gambitweekly.com\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nGambit's Events Calendar\nFor more upcoming events visit calendar.gambitweekly.com\nOct\n10\nMusic\nRichard \"Piano\" Scott\nTue, Oct 10, 2023\nOct\n10\nMusic\nThe Villians\nTue, Oct 10, 2023\nOct\n10\nMusic\nYusa & Victor Campbell\nTue, Oct 10, 2023\nOct\n10\nMusic\nColin Myers\nTue, Oct 10, 2023\nC'est What?\nWhat are you most looking forward to eating this fall?\nGumbo\nIt's a month ending in \"r,\" so oysters\nSome Louisiana game, like duck\nI've been freebasing pumpkin spice since Oct. 1\nVote View Results\nAbout Gambit\nCurrent Issue of Gambit\nNewsletter Sign-Up\nHome Delivery\nAd Info & Rates\nNational Advertising\nAbout Us\nCareers at Gambit\nArchives\nContact\nPuzzles\nComing to New Orleans?\nArt\nEvents\nMusic\nFestivals\nGambit Ink Settings Privacy Statement Terms of Use\n\n\u00a9 2023 Gambit\nPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.\nThis website stores data such as cookies to enable essential website functionality, marketing, personalization and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. See updated terms and conditions.\n ",
+            "page_content": "Skip to main content\nFun & Free\nNewsletter\nAdvertise\nClassifieds\nCalendar\nBECOME A MEMBER\n\u2018No excuses\u2019: Frustrated council members press Richard\u2019s Disposal over garbage failures\nBY SARAH RAVITS\nJan 6, 2023\nA Richard's Disposal truck \nPHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD/ THE TIMES-PICAYUNE\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nFrustrated New Orleans City Council members are demanding swift action from Mayor LaToya Cantrell\u2019s administration to resolve Richard\u2019s Disposal\u2019s ongoing failure to haul off residential waste. \nCouncil members Freddie King, Joe Giarrusso and Lesli Harris issued a joint statement Friday, calling on the Department of Sanitation to come up with new plans, citing escalating public health concerns and a declining quality of life for fed-up residents who have complained for months about missed pickups and overflowing, festering bins.   \n\u201cThere can be no excuses,\u201d said Giarrusso, who represents District A. \u201cThe trash needs to be collected. This is urgent. This is about delivering basic services. This is a public health issue. The solution is self-evident: Immediate supplementation must be provided with a focus on the missed routes.\u201d  \nThe call for action is part of the Council\u2019s ongoing push to get waste management on track in New Orleans.\nAlthough overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Metro Services' trash collection woes, Richard's record has also been inadequate for much of the last year and a half following Hurricane Ida.  \n\u201cThe lack of basic trash and recycling pickup service is unacceptable,\u201d District B's Harris said. \u201cIt\u2019s time for the City to get to the bottom of this issue. The Department of Sanitation must announce a plan to stabilize trash collection across Service Area 2.\u201d \nFor months, residents in the service area \u2014 which encompasses large swaths of Uptown, Mid-City, Broadmoor, Gentilly, Ninth Ward and Algiers, have been in distress over the city\u2019s failure to provide this basic municipal service. \n\u201cWe are still seeing a high volume of calls about missed trash and recycling collections in District C on both sides of the river,\u201d said King. \u201cThis issue does not seem to be improving.\"  \nAs Carnival season kicks off, the council members emphasized the need for swift action as the city\u2019s population is expected to swell with tourists and celebrations in the coming weeks.  \nHarris, who chairs the council\u2019s Quality of Life Committee, said, \u201cit should not be the responsibility of residents to constantly report missed pickups.\"  \nCantrell's administration also acknowledged the problem Friday afternoon and issued a statement, saying they were confident that they will find a solution. \"The City of New Orleans is aware of Richard's failure to live up to the demands of its contract,\" a spokesperson said. \"The administration has been working toward a solution that will ensure the residents will receive the sanitations they pay for and that they deserve.\"  \nThis story has been updated with a statement from the Cantrell administration.  \nBECOME A GAMBIT MEMBER AND JOIN OUR KREWE TODAY\nFor more than 40 years, Gambit has covered New Orleans, for New Orleans. We\u2019ve stood up to city hall with you, cheered the Saints with you, danced in the streets with you and cried over our collective loss with you. And we\u2019re plannin\u2019 on being here for 40 more. To do that, we need your help. Become a Gambit member today and help us continue our mission\nSUPPORT GAMBIT\nEmail Sarah Ravits at sravits@gambitweekly.com\nFacebook\nTwitter\nEmail\nPrint\nCopy article link\nSave\nGambit's Events Calendar\nFor more upcoming events visit calendar.gambitweekly.com\nOct\n16\nMusic\nMatinee All Star Band\nMon, Oct 16, 2023\nOct\n16\nMusic\nJon Roniger Band\nMon, Oct 16, 2023\nOct\n16\nMusic\nThe Melatauns\nMon, Oct 16, 2023\nOct\n16\nMusic\nLee Floyd and Thunderbolt Trio\nMon, Oct 16, 2023\nC'est What?\nWhat is this year's scariest Halloween costume?\nSexy Salt Wedge\nA S&WB bill\nThe Creature from the Treme Pothole\nJeff Landry\nVote View Results\nAbout Gambit\nCurrent Issue of Gambit\nNewsletter Sign-Up\nHome Delivery\nAd Info & Rates\nNational Advertising\nAbout Us\nCareers at Gambit\nArchives\nContact\nPuzzles\nComing to New Orleans?\nArt\nEvents\nMusic\nFestivals\nGambit Ink Settings Privacy Statement Terms of Use\n\n\u00a9 2023 Gambit\nPowered by BLOX Content Management System from BLOX Digital.\n  This website stores data such as cookies to enable essential website functionality, marketing, personalization and analytics. By remaining on this website you indicate your consent. See updated terms and conditions.",
             "url": "https://www.nola.com/gambit/news/the_latest/no-excuses-frustrated-council-members-press-richard-s-disposal-over-garbage-failures/article_e62546c4-8df8-11ed-bab6-2b43058e872b.html",
-            "title": "\u2018No excuses\u2019: Frustrated council members press Richard\u2019s Disposal over garbage failures"
+            "title": "No excuses Frustrated council members press richard s disposal over garbage failures"
         }
     ]
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/external-data/src/__main__.py b/packages/external-data/src/__main__.py
index f710209b..2d91b1de 100644
--- a/packages/external-data/src/__main__.py
+++ b/packages/external-data/src/__main__.py
@@ -9,20 +9,20 @@
 def process_url(url):
     try:
         data = url_to_json_selenium(url)
+        if not data or not data["messages"][0]["title"]:
+            # No title found, return the URL to be logged
+            return url
+
         output_dir = "../../backend/src/news_directory"
-        sanitized_title = (
-            data["messages"][0]["title"]
-            .replace(" ", "_")
-            .replace("/", "-")
-            .replace("?", "")
-        )
-        filename = f"{sanitized_title}.json"
+        filename = f"{data['messages'][0]['title']}.json"
         filename = os.path.join(output_dir, filename)
 
         with open(filename, "w") as f:
             f.write(json.dumps(data, indent=4))
+        return None  # No issues, so return None
     except Exception as e:
         print(f"Exception for URL {url}: {str(e)}")
+        return url
 
 
 def main():
@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@ def main():
         "https://www.nola.com/gambit/news/the_latest/no-excuses-frustrated-council-members-press-richard-s-disposal-over-garbage-failures/article_e62546c4-8df8-11ed-bab6-2b43058e872b.html",
         "https://www.wdsu.com/article/new-orleans-council-members-consent-decree-mayor-concerns/43556031",
         "https://fightbacknews.org/articles/city-new-orleans-attempts-exit-consent-decree-protesters-demand-community-control-police",
+        "https://www.nola.com/news/politics/council-tables-plan-to-bar-food-distribution-to-homeless/article_1ba8e916-2a40-11ee-bcb2-dbfdb794bc4f.html",
+        "https://www.wwno.org/news/2023-07-13/meeting-on-controversial-new-orleans-jail-project-draws-passionate-comments-and-a-heated-exchange",
+        "https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/orleans/new-orleans-affordable-housing-city-council-32-million/289-7516fd45-2562-4414-94eb-2c46e810515c", 
+        "https://www.nola.com/news/politics/new-orleans-swb-floats-rolling-forward-tax-rate/article_a6ce3f46-6474-11ee-b72f-b7a906a8f9ef.html",
+        "https://www.wwno.org/news/2023-04-04/advocates-to-city-council-spend-covid-aid-surplus-dollars-on-housing-and-youth-development",
+        "https://www.nola.com/news/politics/cantrell-administration-should-boost-transparency-on-388-million-in-federal-funds-bgr-says/article_6b591a1a-7d7c-11ed-b58f-0371d99e2538.html",
     ]
 
     output_dir = "../../backend/src/news_directory"
@@ -46,7 +52,11 @@ def main():
         os.makedirs(output_dir)
 
     with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=MAX_WORKERS) as executor:
-        executor.map(process_url, url_list)
+        failed_urls = list(filter(None, executor.map(process_url, url_list)))
+
+    with open(os.path.join(output_dir, "failed_urls.log"), "w") as log_file:
+        for failed_url in failed_urls:
+            log_file.write(f"{failed_url}\n")
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
diff --git a/packages/external-data/src/news_extractor.py b/packages/external-data/src/news_extractor.py
index cbb4ba6e..d9bebe5d 100644
--- a/packages/external-data/src/news_extractor.py
+++ b/packages/external-data/src/news_extractor.py
@@ -1,10 +1,40 @@
-import json
+import re
+import spacy
 from selenium import webdriver
 from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait
 from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC
 from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By
 import time
 
+nlp = spacy.load("en_core_web_sm")
+
+
+def sanitize_filename(title):
+    title_with_spaces = title.replace("_", " ")
+
+    doc = nlp(title_with_spaces)
+    tokens = []
+
+    for i, token in enumerate(doc):
+        # If it's an acronym (full uppercase):
+        if token.text.isupper():
+            tokens.append(token.text)
+        # If it's the first word of the title or follows a punctuation:
+        elif i == 0 or doc[i - 1].text in [".", ";", ":", "?", "!"]:
+            tokens.append(token.text.capitalize())
+        # For all other words:
+        else:
+            tokens.append(token.text.lower())
+
+    capitalized_title = " ".join(tokens)
+
+    sanitized = re.sub(r"[^\w\s-]", "", capitalized_title)
+    sanitized = " ".join(sanitized.split())
+
+    max_len = 200
+    return sanitized[:max_len]
+
+
 
 def url_to_json_selenium(url, retries=3, retry_delay=10):
     options = webdriver.ChromeOptions()
@@ -22,7 +52,8 @@ def url_to_json_selenium(url, retries=3, retry_delay=10):
             element_present = EC.presence_of_element_located((By.TAG_NAME, "body"))
             WebDriverWait(driver, 20).until(element_present)
             content = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, "body").text
-            title = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, "h1").text
+            raw_title = driver.find_element(By.TAG_NAME, "h1").text
+            sanitized_title = sanitize_filename(raw_title)
             driver.quit()
 
             data = {
@@ -30,7 +61,7 @@ def url_to_json_selenium(url, retries=3, retry_delay=10):
                     {
                         "page_content": content,
                         "url": url,
-                        "title": title,
+                        "title": sanitized_title,
                     }
                 ]
             }
diff --git a/packages/googlecloud/functions/getanswer/cache/faiss_index_general.dvc b/packages/googlecloud/functions/getanswer/cache/faiss_index_general.dvc
index d2d8fed2..7c3daa6d 100644
--- a/packages/googlecloud/functions/getanswer/cache/faiss_index_general.dvc
+++ b/packages/googlecloud/functions/getanswer/cache/faiss_index_general.dvc
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 outs:
-- md5: f86af62933bae171911ae891560b2407.dir
-  size: 61663926
+- md5: 3d0395a2552ca129333a5a6251260ff3.dir
+  size: 62568138
   nfiles: 2
   hash: md5
   path: faiss_index_general
diff --git a/packages/googlecloud/functions/getanswer/cache/faiss_index_in_depth.dvc b/packages/googlecloud/functions/getanswer/cache/faiss_index_in_depth.dvc
index 83865e58..1ca9f13a 100644
--- a/packages/googlecloud/functions/getanswer/cache/faiss_index_in_depth.dvc
+++ b/packages/googlecloud/functions/getanswer/cache/faiss_index_in_depth.dvc
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 outs:
-- md5: ed5520e1a6f903d4d38105dd3d9d034b.dir
-  size: 61663926
+- md5: 651eb311c09d94156e09308e18334113.dir
+  size: 62568138
   nfiles: 2
   hash: md5
   path: faiss_index_in_depth

From 4d7e6bc87c7b37f13af71948a9b2d0b6e4523cb8 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Ayyub I <ayyub.ibrahimi@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 16 Oct 2023 21:51:07 -0500
Subject: [PATCH 2/2] linted news scraper scripts

---
 packages/external-data/src/__main__.py       | 2 +-
 packages/external-data/src/news_extractor.py | 1 -
 2 files changed, 1 insertion(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/packages/external-data/src/__main__.py b/packages/external-data/src/__main__.py
index 2d91b1de..af5968aa 100644
--- a/packages/external-data/src/__main__.py
+++ b/packages/external-data/src/__main__.py
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ def main():
         "https://fightbacknews.org/articles/city-new-orleans-attempts-exit-consent-decree-protesters-demand-community-control-police",
         "https://www.nola.com/news/politics/council-tables-plan-to-bar-food-distribution-to-homeless/article_1ba8e916-2a40-11ee-bcb2-dbfdb794bc4f.html",
         "https://www.wwno.org/news/2023-07-13/meeting-on-controversial-new-orleans-jail-project-draws-passionate-comments-and-a-heated-exchange",
-        "https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/orleans/new-orleans-affordable-housing-city-council-32-million/289-7516fd45-2562-4414-94eb-2c46e810515c", 
+        "https://www.wwltv.com/article/news/local/orleans/new-orleans-affordable-housing-city-council-32-million/289-7516fd45-2562-4414-94eb-2c46e810515c",
         "https://www.nola.com/news/politics/new-orleans-swb-floats-rolling-forward-tax-rate/article_a6ce3f46-6474-11ee-b72f-b7a906a8f9ef.html",
         "https://www.wwno.org/news/2023-04-04/advocates-to-city-council-spend-covid-aid-surplus-dollars-on-housing-and-youth-development",
         "https://www.nola.com/news/politics/cantrell-administration-should-boost-transparency-on-388-million-in-federal-funds-bgr-says/article_6b591a1a-7d7c-11ed-b58f-0371d99e2538.html",
diff --git a/packages/external-data/src/news_extractor.py b/packages/external-data/src/news_extractor.py
index d9bebe5d..426d906f 100644
--- a/packages/external-data/src/news_extractor.py
+++ b/packages/external-data/src/news_extractor.py
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ def sanitize_filename(title):
     return sanitized[:max_len]
 
 
-
 def url_to_json_selenium(url, retries=3, retry_delay=10):
     options = webdriver.ChromeOptions()
     options.add_argument("--headless")