city government

Road work to reduce traffic lanes on Martin Luther King Boulevard

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Traffic will be reduced to a single lane on Martin Luther King Boulevard for at least a week because of utility work for an upcoming reconstruction of the South Galvez Street, city officials announced. The work excavating the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and South Galvez Street is part of the $5.4 million reconstruction of South Galvez. The lane shifts were expected to begin today, city officials said. For details, see the full news release from the city of New Orleans. Starting at 8 a.m. on Monday, April 16, 2018, the City of New Orleans’ construction contractor, Command Construction Industries, LLC, will shift the riverbound and lakebound traffic on Martin Luther King Jr., Boulevard between S. Rocheblave and S. Prieur Streets.

colleges

Aggravated rape of Tulane student, another woman by group of men under investigation, police say

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A Tulane student and her friend were forced to participate in sex acts with a group of a half-dozen men at a home on South Claiborne Avenue early Sunday, prompting an aggravated rape investigation by the New Orleans Police Department, authorities said. The victims were two women, one who attends Tulane and a guest, according to a crime alert by the Tulane University Police Department. They were at an “Uptown establishment” Saturday night and met two people, and all four returned to the student’s home in the 6100 block of South Claiborne Avenue in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 15, the TUPD report states. “A short time later a group of males known to the original two individuals the student and her guest had met at the uptown establishment arrived and engaged in unwanted acts with the student and her guest,” Tulane police said. The total group of attackers was “six or seven males,” according to the NOPD on the incident.

schools

Lusher Charter School board meeting (live coverage)

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Lusher Charter School is holding its April monthly board meeting. See below for live coverage. Live Blog Lusher Charter School board meeting – April 14, 2018 window.cilAsyncInit = function() {cilEmbedManager.init()};(function() {if (window.cilVwRand === undefined) { window.cilVwRand = Math.floor(Math.random()*10000000); }var e = document.createElement(‘script’);e.async = true;var domain = (document.location.protocol == ‘http:’ || document.location.protocol == ‘file:’) ? ‘https://cdnsl.coveritlive.com’ : ‘https://cdnslssl.coveritlive.com’;e.src = domain + ‘/vw.js?v=’ + window.cilVwRand;e.id = ‘cilScript-56660cdb40’;document.getElementById(‘cil-root-stream-56660cdb40’).appendChild(e);}());

public safety

Three-story home on General Pershing Street burns in early-morning fire

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A large three-story home on General Pershing Street caught fire early Saturday morning, and although it took firefighters nearly two hours to bring it under control, no injuries were reported. For details, see the news release from the New Orleans Fire Department below:

On Saturday, April 14, 2018 at 3:17 a.m. the New Orleans Fire Department (NOFD) received a 911 call reporting a fire at a home in the 1800 block of General Pershing St. The first fire company arrived on the scene at 3:23 a.m. and found a three-story wood-framed construction home with heavy smoke coming from the attic. Upon arrival, firefighters assessed the scene, taking into consideration the number of residents reported to be home at the time of the blaze, as well as the extremely large size of the residence and immediately called for a Second Alarm at 3:29 a.m.

Firefighters’ first priority was to ensure that all the residents made it out of the home safely. A primary search of the building was conducted yielding no additional residents located inside.

crime

Man beaten unconscious, robbed on Martin Luther King Boulevard, police say

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A man walking on Martin Luther King Boulevard on Friday morning was beaten until he lost consciousness and robbed of his wallet by a group of four assailants, New Orleans police said. The victim, a man in his 30s, was walking on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Clara Street shortly before 9 a.m. Friday, April 13, when a group of four attackers approached, according to the initial NOPD report. One, wearing a red shirt, drew a gun and hit him in the back of the head, and another began punching him until he lost consciousness, the report states. They took his wallet and left, the report states. When he regained consciousness, he went to a nearby business where a security officer was able to help him, the report states.

business

Drive Shack announces plan to replace former Times-Picayune building

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A month after holding initial conversations with neighbors about its plans, Drive Shack confirmed its plans Thursday to replace the former Times-Picayune building with a three-story indoor-outdoor “golf entertainment” facility. Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Drive Shack developers made the formal announcement of the plans in a news conference Thursday afternoon. Drive Shack’s developers had previously met to discuss their plans — which include demolishing much of the old newspaper building but saving the murals inside, and improving the streets around the site — with neighbors at a meeting in March. For more details, see the news release below:

Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced that Drive Shack will soon be bringing its unique golf entertainment experience to New Orleans. Drive Shack is developing venues across the country that are reimagining the traditional concept of a golf course through blended, industry-leading technology, design and service that creates a golf-entertainment experience for every skill level and interest.

crime

Woman robbed on Washington Avenue, police say

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A woman was robbed by a man threatening that he had a gun Wednesday evening on Washington Avenue, New Orleans police said. The victim, an 18-year-old woman, was leaving a location in the 4600 block of Washington Avenue (near Jefferson Davis Parkway) around 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, when she was confronted by an unknown man, according to the initial NOPD report. “The male stated he had a gun and demanded the victim’s money,” the report states. “The victim complied and the subject fled the location.” Further details were not immediately available.

opinion

Danae Columbus: Voter turnout remains disappointing, especially among the young

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While a new national survey shows that a growing interest by young people in voting, younger New Orleanians – still don’t “get” the importance of going to the polls on Election Day based on the turnout in the March 2018 elections. According to the Louisiana Secretary of state, 255,378 New Orleanians were registered to vote on March 24, 2018, the date of our last elections. Only 34,406 (13.5%) actually took the time to vote that day when a new civil district court judge, an appeals court judge and a state representative were selected. Of those who did go to the polls, 7,090 (20.6%) were 18 to 44 years of age. That means 27,313 voters (a whopping 79.4%) were 45 or older.

events

Housing activists to host “Fair Housing for All” second line

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Community activists from a coalition of social-justice organizations will rally today, the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, with a second-line in support of an ordinance designed to ensure people released from jail are not discriminated against by landlords. The second line will begin at 5 p.m. today (Thursday, April 11) on Martin Luther King Boulevard at the corner of Willow Street, organizers said. For more information about the organizations involved and their goals, read the event announcement below:

New Orleans is the most incarcerated city in the most incarcerated state in America. More than 15,000 New Orleans residents are locked up in prisons and jails throughout the state and federal prison systems, while, another 15,000 people cycle through the local parish jail, which has twice the incarceration rate of any American city. Every month, hundreds of those people, along with those from other parts of the state, come back into the city and its surrounding areas looking for job opportunities or social services.

public safety

Seven residents displaced after fire at Central City home

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Seven people were displaced and one had to be treated for smoke inhalation after a two-family home on South Johnson Street caught fire Monday night, New Orleans fire officials said. The 911 call about the fire in the 2600 block of South Johnson Street (the corner of Third Street) was received at 10:12 p.m., and firefighters arrived six minutes later to find the single-story wood home “heavily involved with fire in the rear,” according to a New Orleans Fire Department report. Firefighters immediately searched both sides of the home and determined that all seven residents had gotten out safely, the report states, and additional firefighters were called to the scene to help battle the blaze. “Unfortunately the fire had intensified significantly and began to threaten the home to the immediate left of the fire building,” the report states. “With the additional support called to the scene, firefighters were able to continue attacking the bulk of the fire while working tirelessly to minimize the damage done to the exposure building.”