Hurricanes

Hurricane Sally’s northeastward track takes New Orleans out of danger zone

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The National Weather Service downgraded the hurricane warning for New Orleans to a tropical storm warning early Tuesday, as Hurricane Sally sat in the Gulf of Mexico off the Mississippi-Alabama border. The storm is expected to make landfall late tonight or Wednesday near Mobile, putting New Orleans on Sally’s west side, where the threat is lower. City Hall, NORD, libraries and trash collection will resume normal operations Wednesday. Vehicles will need to be off the neutral grounds by 8 a.m. on Wednesday. The Category 1 storm, which has 85 mph winds, has been moving at 2 miles an hour.

Man robbed at gunpoint in Leonidas

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A 60-year-old man was robbed at gunpoint Sunday evening in the Leonidas neighborhood, the New Orleans Police Department reported. The victim was in the 8600 block of Cohn Street, near Leonidas Street, at about 8 p.m. when he was approached by a gunman threatening to shoot if he didn’t turn over his wallet. The victim complied. Further details were not immediately available. Anyone with information is urged to call the NOPD Second District station at 504-658-6020 to speak to a detective, or Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 to leave an anonymous tip that could be eligible for a cash reward.

Hurricanes

Tropical Storm Sally on track to make landfall in southeast Louisiana as Cat 1

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Tropical Storm Sally is expected to make landfall late Monday or early Tuesday as a Category 1 hurricane and make its presence known throughout the metro area through Wednesday. Sally was moving slowly west-northwest across the Gulf of Mexico on Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported. At 7 a.m. it was about 115 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River with maximum sustained winds at 65 mph. Due to a shift in the forecast cone to the east, rainfall is now forecast to total between 4 to 6 inches in New Orleans, with locally higher amounts possible. Parking on neutral grounds and sidewalks is allowed until further notice.

Viewpoint: America needs leadership from a ‘gumbo coalition,’ Marc Morial says

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National Urban League President and former Mayor New Orleans Marc Morial was born to lead.  His parents, former Mayor Ernest N. “Dutch” Morial and educator Sybil Haydel Morial, wouldn’t have had it any other way. From his NORD playground days as a national champion Little League football star to his groundbreaking work in civil rights and economic empowerment, Morial has united voices and created meaningful change first in Louisiana and later across the globe.  

Man shot to death in Lower Garden District

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A man was shot to death in the Lower Garden District on Sunday afternoon, the New Orleans Police Department reported. At 1:43 p.m, NOPD Sixth District officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 600 block of Felicity Street. They found a man, later identified as Johnathan Davis, suffering from gunshot wounds. Medical responders attempted life-saving measures; however, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Davis was 22.

Hurricanes

Finish storm preparations today, city officials urge

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Tropical Storm Sally is expected to bring hurricane conditions to southern Louisiana. Overnight and morning updates from the National Hurricane Center show its intensity has increased. The storm is now forecast to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane, with impacts likely to begin Monday and last into Wednesday. City officials are urging residents to finish their preparations today. A hurricane warning and a storm surge warning are in effect for New Orleans.

Audubon Zoo mourns the death of baby gorilla

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From the Audubon Institute

The Audubon family is devastated by the loss of a critically endangered western lowland gorilla born on Sept. 4. The 6-day-old infant was the first gorilla birth at Audubon Zoo in 24 years and the first offspring for 13-year-old Tumani. Animal care staff noticed on Wednesday evening the gorilla infant seemed lethargic and weak in the arms of the mother. The infant was transferred to the zoo’s animal hospital, but the veterinarian team could not revive the infant.

crime

Two armed robbery suspects in custody

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The Second District of the New Orleans Police Department has made two arrests in recent Hollygrove armed robbery cases. The NOPD arrested Craig Elliot, 20, on Sunday, Sept. 6, in the investigation of an armed robbery on Aug. 27 in the 9000 block of Palm Street. NOPD Second District detectives identified Elliot as potentially one of the gunmen who robbed the victim and stole his vehicle and obtained a warrant for Elliot’s arrest.