u/NinjaInspector

Update to post https://www.reddit.com/r/RockTumbling/s/dcOvQvHc0P

Update to post regarding 20lb shipped

https://www.reddit.com/r/Lapidary/s/OwrsIRAMbY

I think this is a good deal, am I wrong? $75 total shipping included for 20 lbs, works out to $3.75 a pound.

Jailed ex-NOPD sex crimes detective Stanley Burkhardt questioned on camera about abuse allegations and unsolved killings

Convicted child molester Stanley Burkhardt – a former investigator of sex crimes against children who has been in and out of prison for decades – invoked his constitutional right against self-incrimination more than 700 times while being questioned under oath recently, including when asked whether he committed a series of unsolved murders victimizing youths in his orbit.

Burkhardt’s decision to remain silent came when faced with questions about the killings during a deposition in a civil lawsuit by an alleged sexual abuse victim of his – a case aimed at him and the New Orleans Police Department, which used to employ him. 
His silence couldn’t be held against him if the context were a criminal proceeding. But in the context of the lawsuit, a jury is allowed to presume that the ex-cop availed himself of his Fifth Amendment rights rather than answer honestly because he would have incriminated himself, said civil attorney Kristi Schubert, who deposed Burkhardt for four hours in late April.

“Are you afraid to answer these questions because you don’t think you’re smart enough to answer without incriminating yourself?” Schubert asked Burkhardt at one point. 
“Fifth,” he replied, a curt indication that he was – as it’s colloquially called – pleading the fifth to that question. 
Burkhardt laughed sarcastically when Schubert remarked during a separate exchange, “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen somebody so afraid to answer questions.”
Though he pleaded the fifth about every 20 seconds during the proceeding, Schubert’s deposition of Burkhardt is significant because it was one of the rare times someone has been able to ask questions of him for so long, including about the decades-old murders, while he was sworn to tell the truth.

Unsolved teen deaths
Investigators have consistently stopped short of describing Burkhardt as a suspect in the strangulation murders of three teenagers with ties to New Orleans in the late 1970s. But there have been numerous clear signs that he has been considered of interest to investigations into those slayings, along with the 1982 death of a teen whose body was recovered from the Mississippi River. 
Notably, a retired NOPD officer, Frank Weicks, who was deposed months earlier by Schubert in her client’s lawsuit, testified that he recalled his own agency had looked at Burkhardt as a possible suspect in the 1982 death of teenager Eddie Wells as far back as the mid-1980s. 

Schubert specifically asked Weicks whether one particular officer had indicated to him “that he suspected … Stanley Burkhardt of being responsible of the murder of some boys.”
Weicks, who had previously spoken about Burkhardt in the ongoing true-crime podcast New Orleans Unsolved, replied, “That’s correct … in particular, Eddie Wells.”  
The plaintiff in the lawsuit that produced the depositions of Weicks and Burkhardt, Richard Windmann, in October 2018, publicly accused Burkhardt in the news media of once having claimed responsibility for Wells’ death at age 17. Windmann, back then, was speaking out for the first time about his experiences enduring childhood sexual abuse at the hands of various adults growing up, among them Burkhardt.
Authorities shortly thereafter announced they were re-examining Wells’ death – deemed a drowning. They would also later confirm they were giving fresh looks to the slayings of Dennis Turcotte, 19, and 17-year-olds Raymond Richardson and Daniel Dewey, whom investigators have long suspected were all murdered by the same person or people over a 21-month span beginning in February 1978. 

The subsequent release of New Orleans Unsolved delved into links among Burkhardt, a sexually abusive Boy Scout troop whose victims included Windmann; and the deaths of Turcotte, Richardson, Dewey and Wells. It also documented how Burkhardt would suspiciously insert himself into certain investigations and attributed to him various acts of brutality.
Gaining the scarce opportunity to question him under oath, Schubert bluntly asked Burkhardt whether he had murdered Turcotte, Richardson, Dewey and Wells while he was on the police force and they were in his proximity.

He pleaded the Fifth each time.

As it pertained to Wells, that slightly changed an answer he had previously given during much briefer questioning in a February 2020 court proceeding largely centering on his history of sex offenses, when he described the teen as a “homicide victim” who had been abused, though not by him.
Burkhardt was asked then if he murdered Wells, and he answered, “No.”
Furthermore, in a striking moment during his deposition, he twice said, “No, thank you,” when Schubert asked him to look at a picture of Turcotte. 
“Are you afraid to look at the child? … Does it bring up too many memories?” Schubert asked him. 
“Fifth,” Burkhardt replied. “Fifth.” 

He offered the same answer when Schubert asked him whether, as her client maintains, he instructed an underage Windmann to subject himself to sexual abuse to catch child molesters as a kind of informant for Burkhardt to either arrest or blackmail. 

Alarming testimony
Schubert asked him for his take on some of the most alarming testimony about him from Weicks, whose tenure at NOPD overlapped with that of Burkhardt, a civilian communications clerk at the agency’s communications center from 1970 to 1972 and then an officer there until 1987, when he was unmasked as a child molester.  
Besides mentioning the scrutiny Burkhardt had drawn with respect to Wells decades earlier, Weicks testified that Burkhardt once offered to kill a domestic abuse suspect with a gun meant to be untraceable while they were both NOPD officers during that same era. 
“No, not on my watch,” Weicks recalled telling Burkhardt. 
Weicks is a voice on New Orleans Unsolved. He additionally testified that – years before his unmasking – he was approached by an FBI agent who was investigating “sexual abuse of children” complaints filed with the bureau against Burkhardt. 
He swore that he reported both the offer to murder the domestic abuse suspect as well as the FBI agent’s overture to his and Burkhardt’s commanding supervisor without any substantial consequence for Burkhardt. 

Asked why he didn’t report Burkhardt to any outside watchdog agency, Weicks retorted, “Ma’am, if I may comment, … I arrested six police officers [before retiring]. How many cops can say that?
“Four … were pedophiles. One … was [for] theft. One … was a drug dealer. I think I paid my dues trying to seek out dirty cops.” 
Burkhardt pleaded the fifth when Schubert asked him a series of questions about each of those aspects from Weicks’ testimony.

Decades-long rap sheet
The first time Burkhardt was sent to prison was in 1987, for mailing sexual abuse imagery depicting juveniles to undercover agents despite a career investigating child abuse cases. He has since been released and reimprisoned a half-dozen times, including on July 15, 2025, on state charges of alleged parole violations, for which he is being held in custody in lieu of $100,000 bail.  
Among the crimes for which Burkhardt has served time were molesting his nine-year-old niece. During one of his myriad arrests, federal agents who searched his home found a 12-year-old boy inside, though he never faced charges related to that child. 
US justice department prosecutors eventually resorted to a federal law allowing lifelong, involuntary commitments for people whom judges deem to be “sexually dangerous.” A judge ruled in 2011 that Burkhardt met those conditions and imposed an indefinite commitment. But he was conditionally freed after four years of treatment. 
His repeated reincarcerations center on allegations that he violated his strict parole conditions by, for instance, secretly using cell phones and the internet. He allegedly accessed social media and commented on photos of children with an account whose password was “boyz4me!”.
Meanwhile, Burkhardt has also grappled with the still pending lawsuit from Windmann. It demands damages from Burkhardt and New Orleans’ city government over abuse that Windmann alleges was inflicted on him in his youth by Burkhardt after the defendant met the plaintiff while on the job as a police officer. 

Windmann, as Weicks confirmed in his testimony to Schubert, was molested as a child by the abusive leaders of New Orleans’ infamous Boy Scout Troop 137. Weicks was one of the investigators on the case. 
The case netted a number of convictions with testimony from Windmann when he was still a child, as chronicled in the 2023 Netflix documentary Scouts Honor. 
Windmann met Burkhardt after that case. And the lawsuit Windmann eventually filed set the stage for Burkhardt’s and Weicks’ depositions. 
An attorney for Burkhardt didn’t respond to an email offering the opportunity to comment on his deposition, which was conducted and recorded at New Orleans’ jail – while he was shackled and in an orange prisoner’s jumpsuit. Weicks didn’t reply to an opportunity to comment either. 
A trial in connection with Burkhardt’s July 2025 parole violation arrest is tentatively set for July 13th.
During the February 2020 court proceeding, which happened ahead of one of his various releases from custody, Burkhardt admitted in court to having molested Windmann – although his attorneys later sought to establish that Burkhardt actually meant he engaged in consensual sexual activity with Windmann when Windmann had turned 17, Louisiana’s age of legal consent.
Schubert asked Burkhardt during his deposition in front of her: “You were telling the truth when you admitted that you had sexually abused Mr. Windmann while he was a child under 17, correct?”

Burkhardt answered: “Fifth.”

A new initiative aims to repair broken and inadequate street lighting to help prevent crime

During the 19th century, American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson penned the expression “gas-light is found to be the best nocturnal police” in his essay Worship. With regard to public lighting in American cities today, the phrase can have a double meaning – security or surveillance.

Beyond simply making it safe for people to see at night, public lighting’s link to securitycarries deeper significance in neighborhoods, especially regarding race and class. The use of public lighting has been viewed as a socioeconomic indicator that separates wealthy areas from less affluent ones.
“Lights impact people and dictate the way they experience freedom and citizenship. These schemes can reflect, illuminate and reproduce inequalities in different communities,” said Angela Allen-Bell, a legal scholar and civil rights expert.

In upscale neighborhoods, streetlights illuminate street corners, typically enhancing the area’s aesthetic appeal and community prestige. Conversely, most lower-income neighborhoods are not as well lit, often signaling systemic disinvestment. After Hurricane Katrina swept through the majority-Black New Orleans East section of the city, thousands of broken streetlights were left in its wake. Streetlight outages in New Orleans were blamed on budgetary constraints and clashing priorities, and the contractor handling streetlights was only able to perform emergency repairs. Research has shown how the lack of public lighting harms underserved areas, and highlights the benefits of increased lighting in those areas. To that end, a city program in New Orleans is tackling public lighting and seeks to address the problem head-on.

A new light system
On 13 January, New Orleans’ mayor, Helena Moreno, launched the Lights On initiative, a $2.8m project aimed at repairing broken and inadequate street lighting in underserved neighborhoods to help prevent crime, starting with New Orleans East. The new light system uses energy-efficient LED lights and solar sensors to replace aged illumination devices.

“The main goals are to improve public safety by increasing visibility in neighborhoods, reducing crime opportunities, fixing long-neglected infrastructure, restoring public trust in city services and creating a coordinated citywide lighting system,” Moreno said in a statement. “The city has hired its own electricians so repairs can happen faster and more efficiently.”

As of 10 March, more than 1,600 lights have been replaced or repaired in the city, with a goal of addressing about 3,000 work orders throughout New Orleans. One of the focus areas for this initiative is around the Willow Apartments in New Orleans East.

“I feel that the initiative is helping [New Orleans East] in a positive way, although there are some lights still out,” said Dawn Herbert, who lives near the apartment complex. She said she notices the elevated brightness around the area. “Overall, I do feel a bit safer, and I think [the initiative] brings a light that we’re not really used to in the community.”

Other residents said they don’t see a change. “I don’t think that the initiative made much of a difference,” said Claudia Celestine. While driving along the I-10 service road, she stopped at a service station to look at the light fixtures. “It was almost like the service station was more illuminated than the streetlights.”
However, one thing the New Orleans East community can agree on is the need for change.
Allen-Bell, the legal scholar, grew up in New Orleans East in the 1980s. She notes that when housing projects and affordable houses were destroyed across the city during Katrina, low-income residents needed a place to live. Many existing New Orleans residents knew that majority-white areas would never be considered as a relocation site for poor Black citizens. The East became their home. “And with that [divestment] came all the issues associated with poverty – violence, crime, trauma and other disparities,” Allen-Bell said.
Several reports have identified public lighting as a key strategy to reduce crime – without the use of advanced-tech surveillance that can invade the privacy and the community oversight of urban residents. “To truly lower the crime rate without eroding the community’s social life, lighting must be integrated into a strategy that enhances interaction among residents and fosters a caring attitude toward the shared environment,” said Dr Maria Barrera-Vilert, an assistant professor of criminology and justice at Loyola University of New Orleans.
Besides illuminating the streets of New Orleans East, residents hope the streetlight repair program will encourage proper neighborhood revitalization and social reform.

About three months ago, Amber Leduff, gave birth to her daughter, Autumn, at New Orleans’ Touro hospital. The room was hectic after the delivery, with nurses and doctors bustling in and out. In the chaos, Leduff, who is 30, only half registered the representatives from Family Connects New Orleans, taking paperworks from them and moving on.

But when her doctor encouraged her to enroll in the program, which provides up to three in-home visits to parents of newborns up to 12 weeks old, Leduff took it seriously.

Anyone who gives birth at Ochsner Baptist or Touro hospital in New Orleans and is an Orleans Parish resident – regardless of insurance status or income – is eligible for FamilyConnects New Orleans (FCNO). The best part about the program? The visits are free.

Four weeks after Autumn was born, Leduff scheduled their first visit. The nurse assigned to her arrived with her own weight table – a relief to Leduff who wanted to ensure, between pediatric visits, that Autumn was gaining enough weight.

“She checked on the baby, talked to me and my husband about our specific needs and how I’m actually doing,” Leduff told the Guardian. “I know sometimes the mom kind of just gets tossed to the side when it’s all about the baby, but she was very engaging in conversation with us, making sure that we were OK and had all the necessities that we needed.”

Family Connects is a national program that offers a glimpse into how state and local governments can support families in meaningful ways during the difficult, and potentially dangerous, postpartum period. In 2021, 43.3% of pregnancy-related deaths occurred in the six weeks following delivery – this program, designed to be universal, works to fill in the gap period between birth and the first postnatal appointment through home-based nurse visits.

Initially launched in Durham, North Carolina, in 2008 as Durham Connects, Family Connects is available in some counties or cities in several states, including North and South Carolina, Arkansas, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio and Texas, amongst others. New Orleans’ iteration of the program started in August of 2023.

Leduff’s nurse also gave resources to additional services provided by the city that she didn’t realize existed. That had a positive cascading effect: Leduff was able to pass the information along to cousins and friends who had also recently had babies.

The visit provided security and reassurance that, as first-time parents, was needed for both Leduff and her husband. “The benefit of it is giving moms, whether you’re first time or not, whether it’s your second or third child – you always get that peace of mind when someone comes and just answers any questions you have,” she said. “Every question I had, she took with ease and answered thoroughly.”

Supporting a new mother’s mental and physical health

While Louisiana has made strides in clinically treating conditions that can kill mothers, such as hypertension and hemorrhage, the highest risk is in the early postpartum period.

“You go, you have your delivery, you’re in the hospital and everything is there. You go home, there’s a bit of a honeymoon period, and then, for many women, you fall off a cliff,” said Jennifer Avegno, deputy mayor of health and human services. “It’s the time in your life when your resources are generally at their lowest. We often don’t know about it until you hit one of our systems later on, whether that’s child protection, whether it’s the ER, whether it’s substance use treatment.”

While programs such as WIC or Healthy Start help with young children and nutrition, there was nothing for the critical period shortly after birth. FCNO fills that void. Avengo noted that most developed countries have multiple postpartum home visits and significantly better birth outcomes.

The nurses not only provide clinical evaluations of the mother and baby – things that can be particularly important for hypertensive moms and low birth weight babies – but also provide comprehensive social service evaluations of the entire home. For some families, such as those without insurance, the visits may be the only health services they receive.

Additionally, the nurses can screen for postpartum depression, provide breastfeeding support, help with other aspects of adjusting to a newborn and also connect families with resources in the community. FCNO is also now offering maternal support groups once a month, during which moms can commiserate and build relationships during a period that can feel isolating.

“If grandma lives in the home, what’s going on with grandma? If there’s a three-year-old in the home, what do they need? It is a very active, warm handoff and confirmation that you’re getting the help you need,” Avegno said. “Up to two follow-up visits make sure those loops are closed. This is not longterm; we’re not going to be with you forever. But it is to get you through that hump.”

Before FCNO, families would attend the prenatal appointments and “they would be good patients”, Meshawn Siddiq, director of family health and wellbeing, said.

“They wouldn’t tell the provider that they couldn’t afford the medications, so you have very sick patients going to their prenatal appointment and not getting the support that they need,” she said. “Or they would go into the hospital, have their baby and go home and not take their medications.”

We know that maternal mental health is a major risk factor for maternal morbidity and mortality, in the postpartum period ... 

Nurses are able to encourage patients to still take the medications they have been prescribed even if they are currently feeling fine. But they can also connect families to resources – social workers, counselors, psychiatrists and psychologists – that they don’t realize they need. Many mothers, program evaluations have found, don’t realize they need the support, or that their “postpartum blues” is actually to a level that necessitates treatment.

While the program is not designed to replace critical post-birth appointments, like the six-week checkup for mom and baby, it does offer additional care – often before either child or parent even makes it to the follow-up doctor’s appointment. The first appointment is typically around week three, Melissa Goldin Evans, an assistant professor at Tulane’s School of Public Health who helped interview participating families, told the Guardian.

“We know that maternal mental health is a major risk factor for maternal morbidity and mortality, in the postpartum period, specifically,” Goldin Evans said. “There’s just not a lot of support for that, especially for first time moms or single moms. To have someone come in and even just say, ‘You’re doing okay.’ ‘This is normal.’ ‘Babies cry; this is what this cry could mean.’ Just having someone ease those early days worries just can go a really long way for someone’s mental and behavioural wellbeing.”

FCNO participation has led to reductions in Medicaid spending for mothers and babies, respectively, nine months after delivery. While the city of New Orleans funded the initial pilot, the program has been so successful that it is now in conversations with the state to get commercial insurance and Medicaid coverage.

“We found that what that does is build trust in the healthcare system,” Avegno said. “The healthcare system is really scary and often cold and appears unfeeling, especially if you’ve had a baby. This is a way where we can say: ‘We really just want to know what you need and how we can meet that need.’”