elections

Danae Columbus: The horses are at the post (finally)

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It’s time to put up or shut up.

Louisiana’s election season begins in earnest next Tuesday with qualifying for statewide offices and the 144 members of the Louisiana House and Senate. Dozens of prospective candidates will be trekking to their parish Clerk of Court or to the Louisiana Secretary of State before the Thursday 4:30 p.m. deadline. They will bring the appropriate cash, cashier’s check or money order (no credit cards or personal checks accepted) and swear that they really reside where they are registered and that all their taxes are paid in full. Those who perjure themselves – and these days there is usually someone – are quickly challenged in court.

business

StayLocal! to showcase local businesses at Trivia Night

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StayLocal! will host a business-themed trivia night and business showcase on Wednesday (July 31) to connect local independent businesses. The night will test knowledge of treasured New Orleans businesses, legendary brands and their founders, and questions about Amazon.com.

Trivia Night takes place at Port Orleans Brewing Company, 4124 Tchoupitoulas St. The B2B showcase and networking hour starts at 5:30, while trivia begins at 6:30 p.m.

crime

Homicide victim found in crashed car on Amelia Street

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New Orleans police are investigating a homicide that took place in the 2200 block of Amelia Street early Saturday morning (July 27).

At around 1:52 a.m., Sixth District officers responded to a call of a vehicle that crashed into a wood utility pole. Upon arrival, officers discovered an adult male victim inside of a gray Chevrolet Camaro suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to the upper torso. The victim was pronounced dead on the scene.

opinion

Danae Columbus: Should I leave my sandbags out forever?

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Every time it rains hard, I worry that my home might be flooding again. I was in Mid-City on Saturday when the rain began, and I quickly headed back downtown. Along the way, standing water overflowed every intersection, even after I reached the CBD – which until recently had always been a pretty dry area. As I finally approached home I could see a dutiful neighbor standing in knee deep water in an effort to slow down the wake from passing vehicles.

Just that morning, I had carefully swept away all the remaining dirt and debris from the previous week’s flooding. Now I needed to repeat the process after I cleaned up inside.  What I particularly don’t like about floodwaters is that they contain harmful bacteria that can make even healthy people sick.