Tristan Baurick

NEW ORLEANS — Sarah Hess started taking her toddler, Josie, to Mickey Markey Playground in 2010 because she thought it would offer a refuge from lead. After a routine doctor visit revealed Josie had lead poisoning, Hess quickly traced the source to the cr... See more

Poison at Play: Unsafe lead levels found in half of New Orleans playgrounds Nan, 2, swings barefoot at Mickey Markey Park in the Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans on November 13, 2025. (Photo by Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report f... See more

Verite News, a nonprofit news organization with a mission to produce in-depth journalism in underserved communities in the New Orleans area. This is the last story in a three-part series. Kathleen Watts’ flowers bloom much brighter now that the wind no lo... See more

NEW ORLEANS — Sarah Hess started taking her toddler, Josie, to Mickey Markey Playground in 2010 because she thought it would offer a refuge from lead. After a routine doctor visit revealed Josie had lead poisoning, Hess quickly traced the source to the cr... See more

This story was originally published by Verite News This four-month investigation was supported by a Kozik Environmental Justice Reporting grant funded by the National Press Foundation and the National Press Club Journalism Institute. It was also produced ... See more