Viewpoint: Will Judge Bonin enter the race for district attorney?

An alphabet of sitting judges quickly appeared yesterday at the Clerk of  Criminal Court’s office yesterday morning to qualify for re-election. Judge Kern Reese wore a traditional white linen suit and carried a straw hat, as did Judge Ben Willard. Judge Paul Sens was handsome in seersucker. The theory is that incumbents qualify on the first day to ward off challengers. One jurist who was conspicuous by his absence was Criminal  Court Section D Judge Paul Bonin, rumored to be entering the race for district attorney.

Man killed in Central City double shooting

A double shooting in Central City left one man dead and another injured, the New Orleans Police Department reported Monday afternoon. On Monday at 2:05 p.m., Sixth District officers responded to reports of shots fired in the 2800 block of Jackson Avenue, between South Claiborne Avenue and Willow Street. Upon arrival, officers discovered two men inside of a vehicle suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. During the investigation, officers learned that the occupants of a black sedan had pulled up on side of the victims’ vehicle. A front-seat passenger in the sedan opened fire with a rifle.

Viewpoint: Road to judgeship began with bus ride to Tulane University

 

When Terri Love arrived on the Trailways bus from her native Birmingham, Alabama, to attend Tulane University School of Law on a scholarship, little did she know that almost 30 years later she would be seeking a seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court. The daughter of two civics teachers, Judge Love had always planned to run for mayor of Birmingham until she met Judge Israel Augustine, who convinced her that the judiciary was her true calling. A member of the Louisiana Court of Appeal 4th Circuit, Judge Love proudly points to what she calls her exceptional legal training, extensive post-law-school judicial education, 25 years of appellate and trial court service and ongoing commitment to public service. “These are challenging times, but I am very excited about running for our state’s highest court,” Judge Love said. “I believe my credentials have prepared me to serve.

Viewpoint from a chef and restaurateur: ‘We don’t know what our future is’

The following “Open Letter to NOLA” was posted on social media by Eric Cook, the owner and executive chef of Gris-Gris, a restaurant on Magazine Street in the Lower Garden District. It was addressed to “our friends, neighbors and family” and is published here with permission. As you know, we’ve been trying to fight the good fight through the past few months. Gris-Gris was one of the first restaurants to shut down when this whole thing began. We’ve been trying to keep everyone safe and do our best to keep our little corner of Magazine Street alive and well so we can keep doing what we love, and bring love to you guys every single day.

Vino Wine and Spirits is uncorked on South Carrollton

The once bare white walls of a South Carrollton Avenue storefront are now highlighted by bottles of red, white, rose and sparkling wines from France, the U.S., Spain and Italy, along with some select local and global spirits. If those walls could talk, they would tell of the journey Vino Wine and Spirits took, including delays due to COVID-19 pandemic regulations and the cyber attack on City Hall, as they were navigating the already arduous permitting process. Then there was the card reader that wasn’t going to arrive in time for the opening, and then when it did, it was in pieces to be assembled. The good news is that a new chapter began the last week of June, when Vino Wine and Spirits welcomed its first customers, card reader be damned. Vino Wine and Spirits is the realization of a dream of Allyson and Milton Hernandez.

Viewpoint: Classroom lessons guiding local math teacher’s Senate campaign

 

“America needs a national plan to deal with COVID-19 that includes testing and PPE in order for our schools to re-open safely,” said New Orleans math teacher Peter Wenstrup, a candidate for the U.S. Senate in the Nov. 3 election. One of four candidates challenging incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, Wenstrup announced his candidacy July 1 via video and social media. 

Wenstrup points to the return of the NBA and the aggressive testing program within President Trump’s inner circle as examples of how life and operations can continue “close to normal” when regular testing and personal protective equipment are available. “It represents a failure of leadership when we don’t have that same level of support for regular people,” he said. 

A native of Seattle and longtime resident of Cincinnati who attended Brown University, Wenstrup moved to New Orleans because he was looking for “a warm and inviting place where people valued people first.” Wenstrup visited the city once during college and wrote every school in New Orleans looking for a job before receiving an opportunity from Lusher’s CEO Kathy Riedlinger. He began work on Jan.

High demand expected for city’s free COVID-19 testing in Central City

The COVID-19 testing site Monday (July 6) was closed as soon as it opened at 8 a.m., with the last person to be tested already in the long line at Dillard University. Tests are limited to 150 a day. The free testing will be held Tuesday (July 7) and Wednesday in Central City at the YMCA, 2220 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. The noninvasive nasal-swab tests will be provided through New Orleans East Hospital. Results are expected to be online or delivered in two to three days.

Man shot to death in parking lot outside Dollar General

A man was killed in a shooting Friday afternoon in front of the Dollar General store on South Claiborne Avenue near Toledano Street, the New Orleans Police Department reported. At around 3:30 p.m., NOPD Sixth District officers arrived at the Dollar General, 2841 S. Claiborne Ave. In the store parking lot, they found Kevin Thomas Jr., 35, suffering from a single gunshot wound to the chest. Emergency Medical Services transported Thomas to the University Medical Center, where he died. The homicide was the second in New Orleans on Friday afternoon, following one in New Orleans East.