+5 Will Sutton: Welcome Cleo Fields back to a place where he shouldn't be BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 24, 2026 U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields campaigned and earned the title of congressman twice in his career. And he’s lost the title twice.
+4 Will Sutton: Nolan Wells’ death strikes a chord when you’ve been the only Black person in a room BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Jul 21, 2026 Nolan Wells has been laid to rest, but the court of public opinion is not at rest.
+29 Photos: Nolan Wells remembered at memorial service marked by grief, questions and a call for answers By CHRIS GRANGER | Staff photographer Jul 20, 2026 Read more: Al Sharpton, Tyler Perry together offer $100,000 for tips tied to death of Nolan Wells
+4 Will Sutton: Legislature, governor want New Orleans to play by the same rules — until they don’t BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 17, 2026 So many of us have focused so much on the Orleans Parish judicial cuts passed by the Louisiana Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry that I think most of us missed the drama behi…
+6 Will Sutton: Louisiana Haitians are caught in a federal flurry of deportation decisions BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Jul 15, 2026 A short time ago, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that the Trump administration can send thousands of people home to their native countries. Actually, we’re talking more than 1 million people. …
+5 Will Sutton: An improved Essence Festival deserves financial investment BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 10, 2026 The early reports about the Essence Festival of Culture are in, and the multiple-event was far better than the 2025 fest.
+4 Will Sutton: New Orleans’ French Quarter problems were too much for Essence Festival ‘essies’ BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 9, 2026 The unexpected Saturday night French Quarter explosion disrupted the fun of some fest-goers at Essence Fest, columnist Will Sutton argues.
+3 Will Sutton: Essence is back. Not the festival. The magazine. Another way to say they love Louisiana BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 9, 2026 Essence was a monthly in my youth days. It became a six-times-a-year publication, then a quarterly publication.
+4 Will Sutton: For Essence Fest, here’s where to see Black culture, Black excellence in New Orleans BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 9, 2026 I love the Essence Festival of Culture. The annual July event provides so much pleasure — and, as Frankie Beverly would say, happy feelings.
+2 Will Sutton: These two Democrats would vote for John Fleming for U.S. Senate. Here’s why. BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Jun 27, 2026 This is the first time in a long, long time since Louisiana voters have voted in closed party primaries, and Saturday they’re voting in a closed voter primary runoff in two races to succeed U.…
+3 Will Sutton: Some Orleans judges are losing their jobs. Who? I’ll tell you. BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 3, 2026 I agree with Gov. Jeff Landry and the Louisiana Legislature that Orleans Parish should have only the number of judges they need. That number should be determined based on the number necessary …
+2 Will Sutton: SCOTUS supports religious freedom — except when it comes in a different package BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 3, 2026 The U.S. Supreme Court has consistently ruled in favor of protecting people who have specific faith and religious practices, arguing that mainstream religious values and organizations must be …
Will Sutton: Why Ronald Greene’s mom says settlement doesn’t settle anything BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 3, 2026 Nearly everyone in Louisiana knows the name Ronald Greene. He’s the man that Louisiana State Police said died in a single-car accident near Union Parish near Monroe in 2019. Then they were cau…
+9 Will Sutton: Essence Festival bringing back Louisiana flavor with local book partner BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 9, 2026 The Essence Festival of Culture made a way out of no way when then-Mayor Marc Morial worked with the Black publishing company to celebrate its 25th anniversary in New Orleans at what was then …
+3 Will Sutton: Essence Festival can’t afford major hiccups, mess ups as it bounces back BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 9, 2026 In just a few weeks, New Orleans will once again host the Essence Festival of Culture, a major event that has called Louisiana home for more than 30 years.
+3 Will Sutton: An HBCU draw, nurtured by New Orleans, will write next chapter in Atlanta BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Jun 9, 2026 The HBCU Legacy Bowl was an idea that some scoffed at.
+3 Will Sutton: Gov. Jeff Landry should have saved the Orleans judge cuts for later BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 3, 2026 After blasting Orleans Parish judges for not being good, for not doing enough work and because there are too many judges in New Orleans, Gov. Jeff Landry had a choice: Sign a bill that would d…
+3 Will Sutton: Who’s the next Zulu king: An everyman or a rainmaker? I’ll tell you, and more. BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated Jul 3, 2026 You may have heard of King Shaka kaSenzangakhona. No? Maybe you’ve heard of Shaka Zulu, the man credited with the emergence of the Zulu Nation in the 19th century by bringing together rival gr…
Will Sutton: The NAACP wants Black athletes to boycott schools like LSU. Should they? BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist May 29, 2026 With the NAACP and other groups backing the idea that Black athletes should combat recent redistricting in many Southern states by denying their talents from Southern schools, columnist Will S…
+2 Will Sutton: Legislature should make like these judicial candidates and move on BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated May 27, 2026 Attorney John Fuller became Criminal District Court Section J Judge John Fuller on Wednesday morning in the courthouse where he’d been practicing for years as a defense attorney. He’s used to …
Will Sutton: The flimsiness of Gov. Jeff Landry’s so-called mandate never more clear BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist May 21, 2026 Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry was elected with 51.6% of the vote in 2023. Fewer than 548,000 voters chose Landry to replace Gov. John Bel Edwards.
Will Sutton: In one N.O. judicial race, the ‘community over connections’ candidate won BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist May 17, 2026 The well-worn cliche says if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
Will Sutton: It’s Election Day, and hundreds of thousands of Louisiana voters might be purged BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist May 15, 2026 Thousands of registered Louisiana voters could be purged from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s voter rolls if they don’t vote Saturday. That’s about 20% who haven’t voted recently.
+3 Will Sutton: Gov. Jeff Landry, we don’t want extra rights. We want what’s right on voting BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist May 12, 2026 Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry was quite proud of himself, landing a featured role in a CBS’ “60 Minutes” story about his efforts to lead Louisiana to a less diverse congressional delegation as sw…
+2 Will Sutton: The Supreme Court has threatened Black representation at all levels of elective office BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist May 8, 2026 The Louisiana Legislature started considering yet another set of congressional district maps, planning to identify one that is clearly constitutional, a process aided by the recent U.S. Suprem…
+4 Our columnists react to Supreme Court’s Louisiana redistricting decision, discuss implications May 8, 2026 Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued what will surely be a landmark ruling in the case of Louisiana v. Callais, in which it declared the state’s current congressional district map unconsti…
+2 Will Sutton: Orleans Sheriff Hutson lost her job. She doesn’t deserve an indictment. BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist May 7, 2026 Say what you want about former Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, but I think the sheriff gig is the toughest elected position in the entire city, and she had a bad, bad hand.
+4 Will Sutton: See how many faith-focused people listen to religious radio, including Louisianans. BY WILL SUTTON | Staff columnist Updated May 2, 2026 It’s probably no surprise to most of you that of most faith-based radio stations are based in the South. That includes Louisiana: About 74% of people who live here are Christians of some kind.…