Hollygrove man, 47, accused of raping a pre-teen girl

A 47-year-old Hollygrove man who fled to California after a 10-year-old girl told her school counselor that he had been raping her for the previous two years has been arrested, extradited back to New Orleans and indicted by a grand jury, Orleans Parish prosecutors said.

ECLIPSED play written by ‘Black Panther’ star continues run at Loyola

The limited engagement of ECLIPSED—award-winning play by Danai Gurira (Black Panther)—continues its run at Loyola University through Sunday, May 6. The black female-led production about five women during the Second Liberian Civil War is part of Southern Rep Theatre’s 2017-18 season in residence at Loyola’s Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.

ECLIPSED is described as “a delicately drawn portrait of the captive wives of a rebel officer in Liberia in 2003. Each one works to find her own way to survive and her place within their tenuous community as the war draws to a close and an uncertain future awaits them. Gurira’s play celebrates their strength, resourcefulness, and humor within an unflinching examination of the human toll of the conflict.”

Danae Columbus: Mayor-elect Cantrell will challenge the gatekeepers of New Orleans

If her choice of performers for the May 7 inauguration is any indication, it’s already clear that Mayor-elect LaToya Cantrell will not be bound by traditional convention as she charts a new path forward for New Orleans future. Cantrell will govern “The Cantrell Way,” with citizens adapting to her style and priorities that will surely include creating a system of governance that is more reflective of our voting majority and their needs.

Women, people of color, LGBTQ and low-income communities have always been historically marginalized, according to the Women’s Donor Network which made a presentation in New Orleans earlier this week. With her grass-roots, social worker background, Cantrell is expected to push for greater inclusion, empowerment and economic equity. Spreading the wealth and the power will be her mantra.