City is planning flood-control initiative

Cars again filled neutral grounds as commuters again navigated their routes to avoid flooded streets on Monday, when 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in a matter of hours. And again, cars stalled, traffic slowed or stopped, and businesses flooded despite sandbag barricades.

There’s no stopping the rain, but the city is preparing a major flood-control initiative, Ramsey Green, the mayor’s top aide for infrastructure, told Uptown Messenger last week.

Woman arrested in domestic battery, theft

The New Orleans Police Department arrested a woman in a domestic battery and theft incident reported Sunday in Central City.

Dominique Flot, 34, faces charges of theft, criminal damage to property, battery upon a dating partner and child endangerment, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Uptown Public School Series: Excellence, Rigor, and Diversity of Options

The Right School for CJ
By Christopher Dobney, Parent
In the first essay of this ten-part series by parents of students at public schools Uptown, Christopher Dobney writes about his son CJ’s time at Benjamin Franklin Elementary Mathematics & Science School. Uptown, like New Orleans as a whole, has a wealth of public school options for families – from college preparatory schools, to three different language immersion programs, to a Montessori program, to a technology career pathway school. In this series, we hear from parents themselves on why their child’s school is right for them.

 My son Christopher, or CJ, is eleven years old. He and I are close. We read together each evening, we play sports together, and it is wonderful to watch him learn and grow. CJ is bright, thoughtful, and athletic. He loves robotics, reading, technology, and playing soccer. I believe he deserves the best possible education, and we have been lucky enough that he’s received that through New Orleans public schools. This fall, he’s starting his sixth grade year at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School, which he has attended since kindergarten.

Danae Columbus: Rep. Ralph Abraham courts like-minded New Orleans voters

Gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham told a New Orleans audience last week that he would move Louisiana in the right direction by cutting spending, changing the tax structure, building the economy and creating jobs. The pledge was made during remarks to the Home Defense Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the right of citizens to bear arms in their homes as well as gun safety and training.

Abraham didn’t spend a minute talking about banning assault weapons or universal background checks. Why? Because the room was filled with Second Amendment advocates — men and women already committed to taking personal responsibility to defend themselves and their families. I believe their philosophy is the wave of the future. Background checks and assault weapon bans won’t keep criminals away from guns.