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release touting the improvements. In the statement, he noted, “I am heartened by the increasing number of New Orleanians who are satisfied by the overall performance of our police department, and enthusiastically thank those officers and staff who have helped to make this difference; but, clearly we have much work to do.” The poll, which was conducted by phone by Wilson Research Strategies Aug. 24-26 — three months into Serpas’ tenure — surveyed 600 adults spread equally across the NOPD’s eight districts. — Allman
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Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > SEPTEMBER 21 > 2010
The New Orleans Food Policy Advisory Committee last week announced eight recommendations to improve food quality in New Orleans schools. The committee, launched in 2007 by the New Orleans City Council, issued a report (“Stepping Up to the Plate: Transforming School Food in New Orleans”) hoping to New Orleans Police Superintendant lower Louisiana’s obesity and hunger rates Ronal Serpas says he’s pleased resiand improve nutrition in school meals. dents are more confident in the police One in five children in the state is at risk of force, but there is still lots of room for hunger, and a similar number are obese. The improvement. most served meals in New Orleans schools PHOTO By CHERyL GERBER (chicken nuggets, pizza, hamburgers) aren’t helping. The committee calls for whole grains, fresh (not processed) fruits and vegetables, applies only prospectively.) lean proteins and eliminating soft drinks. Country-music star Sammy Kershaw said, “We cannot have a healthy city without “I’m a conservative,” but added he admired healthy kids,” says Ashley Graham, committee much about the Tea Party, particularly how it co-chair and Louisiana director of Share Our makes “young folks pay attention to politics.” Strength, a national organization working to The weekend before, several of the candieliminate child hunger. dates had been actively bidding for Tea Party Recommendations include increasing federal support. Dardenne, Davis and Villere had reimbursement rates for free and reducedappeared at a Sept. 11 Tea Party gathering in price meals, which would give low-income Mandeville (along with Vitter), where the keychildren better access to healthy foods in place note speaker was Jerome Corsi, author of the of current school lunch programs. Eightybook Obama Nation. Corsi has spoken in the four percent of New Orleans school children past about his beliefs that 9/11 was an “inside (about 32,000 kids) currently qualify for free job” and that President Barack Obama has “a or reduced-price lunches. “They still deserve false, fake birth certificate” because he was not a high quality meal, every day,” says New Orborn in the United States. (Dardenne, Davis and leans College Prep Charter School founder and Villere all said they did not hear much of Corsi’s director Ben Kleban. Mandeville speech.) Other recommendations include locally One day later, Kershaw appeared at a sourcing school meals, ensuring schools serve Tea Party gathering in St. Louis, where an breakfast, lunch and snacks that go beyond the estimated 10,000 people gathered under the USDA’s outdated minimum nutrition standards city’s famous arch and Kershaw serenaded the (established in 1995), and calling on the city crowd with some Lynyrd Skynyrd covers. — and schools to update kitchen equipment so Kevin Allman they can serve students fresh, nutritious meals. The committee says the Recovery School Cop perCeption District and Orleans Parish Public Schools New Orleanians are slightly more satisfied should assess the kitchen needs of schools. by the performance of the New Orleans Police That may require a plumbing and budgetary Department (NOPD) than they were a year ago. overhaul, Graham admits. The committee also That was the result of a poll released by the recommends that schools develop enrichment activities such as trips to farmers markets and New Orleans Crimefighting Coalition, an umcooking classes. Donna Covato, FPAC co-chair brella group for 25 civic organizations. When and executive director of the Edible Schoolthe poll was taken last year, only 33 percent of yard, says if kids are engaged and “part of the respondents said they were “very” or “someprocess — if they grow it and cook it — they’re what” satisfied by the NOPD, while 62 percent going to eat it.” — Alex Woodward were unsatisfied. This year, the satisfactory rate reached 50 percent, while the unsatisfactory rate dipped to 42 percent. ClariFiCation On specific questions, respondents were In last week’s cover story (“Heroin,” Sept. most dissatisfied with NOPD’s ability to get 14), we reported that former heroin user Arun drugs off the streets (2009: 75 percent; 2010: Rahman completed a seven-month drug reha63 percent), but were happiest with the bilitation in Baton Rouge, a program that cost enforcement of traffic laws (2009: 34 percent; $36,000. Rahman’s mother, Zeenat Rasheed, 2010: 35 percent — a statistically insignificant tells us that Rahman completed his particular difference). program in four months and that the family NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas, who’s only spent $18,000 out of pocket; the remainknown to love statistics, quickly issued a press der was covered under a work-study program.
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