‘Coffee on Your Corner’ pours zoning and enforcement, public safety and housing

Residents in District A and District B will have a chance to meet with city officials during two August “Coffee on Your Corner” events. Questions on zoning and enforcement issues will be answered at the District A coffee klatsch. The District B Neighborhood Engagement Office event is on public health and housing. The Mayor’s Office created Coffee on Your Corner to bring city government to neighborhood venues. The events give New Orleanians a chance to hear about city programs, initiatives and operations directly from the officials in charge of them.

Uptowners don’t need to travel far for a COOLinary meal

Let’s face it — August in New Orleans, especially with seemingly endless record heat, can be brutal. All the more reason to escape to your favorite restaurant, or that restaurant you’ve been wanting to try, to indulge your taste buds with a COOLinary meal. During the 19th annual August COOLinary, some of the city’s finest dining establishments are offering specially curated prix-fixe menus at unbeatable prices. During COOLinary New Orleans, restaurant goers can enjoy two- and three-course lunch menus for $25 or less and three-course dinner and brunch menus for $50 or less from 109 restaurants citywide. Participants include some of the city’s longstanding and iconic Creole and Cajun restaurants as well as new places featuring New Orleans cuisine incorporating international inspirations.

Man killed in early morning shooting on Toledano

A man was shot to death early Friday (Aug. 4) in the Hoffman Triangle neighborhood, the New Orleans Police Department reported. At about 2:25 a.m., NOPD Sixth District officers responded to a call of a shooting in the 3300 block of Toledano Street, near Galvez. They found an unresponsive man with a gunshot wound. Medical responders declared him dead at the scene.

Viewpoint: Parish and statewide candidates queue up for qualifying next week

Judge Monique Barial is ready to move up. For almost 10 years, she has handled family-law cases at Orleans Parish Civil District Court Division H, Domestic Section 2.  A graduate of Xavier University and the Southern University Law Center and a former attorney adviser for the U.S. Small Business Administration, Barial believes that she is well-prepared to take on new judicial challenges beyond the domestic arena. She recently announced her candidacy for the open seat in Division D previously held by Judge Nakisha Ervin Knott, who was elected to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal. Barial is one of the dozens of candidates who will begin qualifying next Tuesday (Aug. 8), for judicial, legislative, regional and statewide offices.

Christopher A. Etienne, Sr., Letters From A Father: Victory Lap Mentality (Sponsored)

Dear Son,

Before my eyes, you’re growing and developing to become a smooth, strong, and smart child. I am proud of you. I have learned from you. And you’ve made me a better father. The late U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson argued, “In the homes of our Nation, we look to the fathers to provide the strength and stability which characterize the successful family.”

Two sought for questioning in Central City double homicide

The New Orleans Police Department is seeking assistance in locating two persons-of-interest for questioning in the ongoing investigation of a double homicide that occurred on Dec. 4, 2022, in Central City. At about 8:30 a.m., officers called to the 2900 block of Danneel Street found two men suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. They were transported to a local hospital, where they later died. The Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Terry Johnson, 32, and Richard Watson, 46.

Viewpoint: The system is designed for New Orleans mayors to prevail

Critics of Mayor LaToya Cantrell have been having a field day recently with multiple incidents about which to complain. Yet it seems no matter how much venom is directed toward her, Cantrell manages to adroitly deflect every accusation like a sizzling fried egg sliding off a Teflon-coated pan.   

Case in point: U.S. District Court Judge Susie Morgan is demanding answers about the Public Integrity Bureau’s shoddy investigation of NOPD officer and Cantrell bodyguard Jeffrey Vappie. The good judge must know that it’s Cantrell who wields the big stick at the NOPD. Other than to extend the consent decree even longer, what recourse does the judge actually have?  Cantrell has already refused to allow her staff appear in Morgan’s courtroom. A long-awaited investigation by lawyers working for the City Council concluded that the informational mailer that Cantrell authorized during the recall campaign probably violated state law.

Mayor’s Office invites public to meetings on the city’s budget

From the Mayor’s Office

Mayor LaToya Cantrell is holding Budget Community Meeting Series this to solicit public opinion on how the city should allocate the 2024 budget. “Building out the city’s budget for 2024 is a process that does not happen overnight; it starts right now,” Cantrell said in a press release. “These town halls are specifically designed for residents to hear directly from my administration and also for us to listen to the public relative to their priorities as well. ”

At the townhall-style meetings in each City Council district, officials will discuss budgeting priorities aligned with the Cantrell administration’s framework designed to prioritize issues that matter most to New Orleanians. These priorities include treating public safety as public health and investing in infrastructure, quality of life, economic development and good and inclusive governance.