Blue Bike group to meet with residents during District B Community Office Hours

City Hall’s Neighborhood Engagement Office will host the Blue Krewe, on Monday (July 12) during Community Office Hours at the Milton H. Latter Memorial Library, 5120 St. Charles Ave. 

The Blue Krewe, a group working to bring back the Blue Bike program, will be available to meet with residents June 12 by appointment from 1  to 5 p.m. 

Viewpoint: Lusher parents send letter to school officials decrying ‘racism within our school community in matters symbolic, structural, and everyday’

The parents of students at Lusher Charter School sent a letter Monday (July 5) to the school’s Advocates for Arts -Based Education Board and the administration calling for a name change and for greater transparency. The action comes after a reported exodus of faculty members and the exit of Principal Steve Corbett, who is set to become CEO of Audubon Schools. The following was sent with the signatures 175 Lusher parents. Dear Members of the Board, LCS administration, and LCS Community,

We are parents of students who attend LCS, and collectively have decades of experience with LCS. We are dismayed with the administration and board’s response to student and faculty calls to confront racism within our school community in matters symbolic, structural, and everyday.

Shooting at Carrollton and Earhart leaves one man dead, another critically injured

A double shooting claimed the life of a man and injured another early Sunday (July 4) in the 3100 block of South Carrollton Avenue, near Earhart Boulevard. At 4:46 a.m., Second District officers were notified about two adult males arriving at a local hospital after sustaining apparent gunshot wounds. One of the victims died at the hospital. The second victim is currently listed in critical condition. The Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office will determine the official cause of death and release the victim’s name, upon completion of autopsy and notification of family.

Louise S. McGehee School will move child care center to a new building

The Louise S. McGehee School won unanimous approval from City Council on Thursday (July 1) to move its child-care center to another building on campus, allowing the all-girls private school to reorganize its classroom spaces for better social distancing. A zoning-related ordinance from 2001 mandated that the school could only use the building it owned on 2336 St. Charles Avenue as an alumni center and administrative offices. As a result, McGehee School had to ask for permission from City Council to allow that building, located at the back of its campus, to be used for child care and additional classrooms.

A City Planning Commission staff report admitted that it’s unclear why the school was so limited in the first place. “The staff is unaware of the original logic for implementing this use restriction,” the report said.

Pickleball, ‘the fastest growing sport you’ve never heard of,’ planned for vacant warehouse space in Lower Garden District

Pickleball may be coming to former warehouse in the Lower Garden District. The City Planning Commission last week voted to approve plans for the sports facility. 

Pickleball is a paddle sport that incorporates elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong and was created as a family activity, according to USA Pickleball. NBC News has called it “the fastest growing sport you’ve never heard of.” 

The 21,000-square-foot former warehouse space on 460-462 Josephine Street and 2120 Rousseau Street, near the Walmart, will be remodeled to create five indoor pickleball courts and one outdoor court. Approximately 10,000 square feet would be added to include a second floor with a restaurant and bar. Plans show 24 off-street parking spaces. 

The former warehouse space is on track to become the first dedicated pickleball facility in New Orleans, according to developer Renee Melchiode.

CR Coffee Shop debuts new location in Armstrong International Airport (sponsored)

CR Coffee Shop is overjoyed to announce the MSY airport location is open for business. The fully operational location is part of Moisant Market, the namesake marketplace boasting local products from CR Coffee Shop, Nola Couture and more. New Orleans is now home to the new flagship Vino Volo store front, as the largest restaurant and store of Vino Volo in the country, it’s sure to attract visitors from all over the world. The new Moisant Market is now offering wines from across the globe, handcrafted local clothing products, snacks, and high quality beverages and pastries from CR Coffee Shop. Kevin Delloile, director of the new MSY airport, wanted to make sure smaller local operators have a fair shake to associate with larger entities, saying “Moisant Market is the perfect middle point in the new terminal, where you can feel the spirit of New Orleans through the local brands.” The new MSY location for CR coffee shop boasts the freshly ground coffee New Orleans has come to love, signature beverages, and in the coming weeks EatFit Nola food options for everyone to enjoy.

Palmer Park gets a new name: Marsalis Harmony Park

The City Council voted Thursday (July 1) to change the name of Palmer Park to Marsalis Harmony Park. The new name for the park, located where the Carrollton and Claiborne avenues meet, was chosen with input from community members, who eventually settled on “Marsalis Unity Park” at a meeting of multiple neighborhood associations early last month. “Marsalis Harmony Park” was the second most popular name discussed. Palmer Park was named after the Rev. Benjamin Palmer, a prominent Confederate and vocal defender of slavery. The park’s new name honors the late renowned jazz musician and educator Ellis Marsalis, whose family still lives in the neighborhood.