@johnsimerman

News/Investigations for The Times Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate (@nolanews). Proud Contra Costa Times alum.

 New Orleans, LA
nola.com
Joined July 2009
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  • Followers3.5K
180Media
John Simerman retweeted
James Finn@rjamesfinnOct 1
Apropos of nothing, @NOLAnews has reported doggedly for 2 years on Meta's Richland Parish data center. Since the project became public 2 years ago, the paper's reporters have broken news at each step -- from questions about water use to NDAs to a power plant acquisition. Thread:
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John Simerman retweeted
James Finn@rjamesfinnSep 30
In July, deputies acting on a New Orleans judge’s orders handcuffed a reporter for standing in a public courthouse hallway. Now, it emerges that a different Tulane & Broad judge sought criminal charges against a news outlet over reporting she didn’t like.
David Hammer@davidhammerWWLSep 29
New Orleans criminal court judge seeking re-election filed a criminal complaint against @WWLTV for reporting home address and license plate using criminal penalties and legal restrictions that no longer exist wwltv.com/article/news/inves…

New Orleans judge filed criminal complaint against WWL under repealed law provisions

Judge Kimya Holmes went to NOPD after WWL reported that her ex-fiancé transferred her a $765,000 home while negotiating a fraud plea.

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John Simerman retweeted
James Finn@rjamesfinnSep 28
Wrote about basketball in the newspaper nola.com/entertainment_life/…

I tried out for the NBA G League in New Orleans as a washed-up hooper. Here’s how I did.

Reporter James Finn wanted to see what it’s like to try out for the NBA G League team in New Orleans.

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John Simerman retweeted
James Finn@rjamesfinnSep 3
New: A New Orleans-based ID verification company and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s local field office are investigating how millions of Americans’ identification documents ended up for sale on the dark web. @nolanews nola.com/news/crime_police/f…

New Orleans cyber firm faces scrutiny after 150 million peoples’ IDs appear on dark web

Experts warned the breach could pose national security threats because of the quantity of government-issued IDs it apparently accessed.

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John Simerman retweeted
Sam Karlin@samkarlinAug 28
Milo, the far-right media personality and former Kanye West associate, has been detained by ICE in Louisiana, @rjamesfinn reports. He's being held in a detention center in Alexandria nola.com/news/courts/milo-yi…

Far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos in ICE detention after arrest at New Orleans airport

Milo Yiannopoulos most recently worked for Ye, the controversial rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who is in New Orleans for a Friday concert at the Caesars Superdome.

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John Simerman retweeted
James Finn@rjamesfinnAug 25
The @sfchronicle has been killing it. Worth every cent for a digital sub
Matthias Gafni@mgafniAug 25
NEW: More details in 49ers owner Jed York arrest. Called himself “Joe” in text messages with undercover cop. Showed up in rental car, per report obtained by @sfchronicle sfchronicle.com/crime/articl…

Report gives new details about 49ers owner Jed York’s arrest in Ohio

San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York texted a person he believed was a prostitute under a fake name over two days before he was arrested in a sting operation, according to an incident report.

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John Simerman retweeted
Andrea Gallo@aegalloAug 19
There's an important defamation case happening this week in Iberville Parish, Louisiana. Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jeff Hughes says @theadvocatebr defamed him in a 2019 editorial. Newspaper's attorney says the case is about 1st Amendment rights. nola.com/news/courts/jeff-hu…

Trial opens in defamation suit by Louisiana Supreme Court justice against The Advocate

Here’s what has happened in the trial so far.

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John Simerman retweeted
Andrea Gallo@aegalloJul 1
In a presser today, @AGLizMurrill responded to @NOLAnews's reporting that she's the subject of a criminal grand jury investigation in Orleans. "I can't explain why they do things in New Orleans the way they do them, but I would say I'm not surprised." nola.com/news/liz-murrill-gr…

Here’s what AG Liz Murrill said about reported New Orleans grand jury investigation

“I can't explain why they do things in New Orleans the way they do them,” the attorney general said. But that’s not all.

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John Simerman retweeted
Andrea Gallo@aegalloJun 17
News: New Orleans federal prosecutor Jordan Ginsberg is under investigation over allegations of a relationship w/ a subordinate, sources tell @rjamesfinn and @johnsimerman. Comes at the same time that he indicted LaToya Cantrell over in-office relationship nola.com/news/courts/jordan-…

NOLA federal prosecutor under investigation for alleged relationship with subordinate, sources say

He was the lead prosecutor on the case against former mayor LaToya Cantrell but has since been placed on leave.

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John Simerman retweeted
Andrea Gallo@aegalloMay 4
The staged car wrecks saga in New Orleans has raised the possibility of solving an unrelated cold case. "This is almost like, ‘We know who did it.’ We don’t want it to stop there," the family says. @rjamesfinn and @johnsimerman explore: nola.com/news/courts/marcel-…

How New Orleans' staged wrecks saga uncovered new evidence in a Katrina-era cold case murder

For Avis Adams and Marvin Trudeau, new evidence that has emerged in their brother's murder — including testimony from a witness they didn’t know existed — has stoked hopes that New Orleans' made-fo...

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Andrea Gallo@aegalloApr 22
Really interesting read from @samkarlin about a bill in #lalege that would add more secrecy to searches for brass at universities across the state. After an initial interview w/ Sam, bill author said he was going to amend the bill. nola.com/news/politics/louis…

Should Louisiana college president searches be secret? A bill is raising transparency concerns.

The sponsor of the bill says he plans to amend it to make it more transparent.

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John Simerman retweeted
Andrea Gallo@aegalloApr 20
Quite a read on New Orleans lawyer Billy Gibbens, who's leaving his law practice to run the giant River Birch Landfill after turning the table more than a decade ago on a federal probe into the owners (involving a @NOLAnews commenting scandal!) nola.com/news/business/billy…

Top attorney Billy Gibbens leaves law to lead River Birch landfill: 'Once-in-a-lifetime chance'

“It’s really a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” said the prominent lawyer about taking over the landfill.

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John Simerman retweeted
Andrea Gallo@aegalloApr 17
New @NOLAnews project out today from the great @patrick_wall. Louisiana traditional public school enrollment is plummeting, leading to layoffs, program cuts, campaigns to win back students. What does this mean for Louisiana’s future? nola.com/news/education/publ…

Louisiana public schools lost 60,000 students in a decade. Enrollment is still falling.

Many districts have tried to woo families with new offerings, but it’s rarely been enough to offset the losses. Instead, under-enrolled schools end up cutting programs and positions. When that’s...

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John Simerman retweeted
Andrea Gallo@aegalloApr 13
So great to see @NewYorker cite @johnsimerman’s reporting today in their deep dive about staged car crashes in New Orleans newyorker.com/magazine/2026/…
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John Simerman retweeted
Drew Broach@DrewBroach1Apr 10
The decision is a landmark one, the first time in Louisiana history that an electric utility has formally filed for abandonment proceedings, and apparently the first such case in the U.S. nola.com/news/louisiana-elec…?

These coastal Louisiana camps lost power when their utility pulled out. Others could be next.

What happens when an electric utility abandons a community? Camp owners in coastal Terrebonne Parish are finding out.

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John Simerman retweeted
Andrea Gallo@aegalloApr 6
A fascinating tale from @rjamesfinn about how a duo of political allies has taken over a New Orleans family's drawn out succession feud -- and how much $$$ they stand to make from it nola.com/news/politics/succe…

How a family succession feud positioned 2 New Orleans politicians to benefit

“We feel the system has failed us and our estate was used to benefit others."

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John Simerman retweeted
NOLA.com@NOLAnewsMar 2
A Louisiana justice voted on a challenge to a law he helped write. Should he have stepped aside? nola.com/news/louisiana-supr…

A Louisiana justice voted on a challenge to a law he helped write. Should he have stepped aside?

They newly-elected Louisiana Supreme Court justice helped kill the challenge in a 4-3 ruling last March. The decision by Cade Cole, a former state tax judge, raises ethics questions.

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John Simerman retweeted
Andrea Gallo@aegalloFeb 19
Our investigations newsletter for @NOLAnews/ @theadvocatebr has returned! Sign up here for behind-the-scenes details on our stories and how we tell them: nola.com/investigativefund/

Investigative Journalism Newsletter Sign-up

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John Simerman retweeted
James Finn@rjamesfinnJan 29
SCOOP: A New Orleans police department recruit detained by ICE this week is a Cameroon man who has lived in the US for 10 years, sources tell me, ⁦@missy_wilkinson⁩ and ⁦@johnsimerman⁩ nola.com/news/crime_police/n…

NOPD recruit detained by ICE is Cameroon man who has lived in US for 10 years, sources say

The man has lived in the country for a decade and was married to a U.S. citizen while the government processed his application for a green card, sources said.

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Oystermen grieve Honduran deckhand who drowned fleeing feds during Louisiana immigration sweeps. w/⁦⁦@sophie_kasakove⁩ nola.com/news/crime_police/l…

Oystermen grieve Honduran deckhand who drowned fleeing feds during Louisiana immigration sweeps

Walter Francisco Cerrato Cabrera drowned in his white shrimp boots after 20 years working on oyster boats around Hopedale. He was 48. “They’re all good people, really good people,” said a longtime...

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