Lusher engineering teacher creating medical masks with Tulane medical students

From Lusher Charter School

In true collaborative spirit, Lusher Charter School engineering teacher Matthew Owen and his wife, Laura, are working with Tulane Medical School and local hospitals to create much-needed personal protective equipment, or PPE, for New Orleans hospital employees to protect them from COVID-19. The Owens are working with medical students and other engineers and students on designs for PPE.

Viewpoint: Stimulus benefits too slow for some idled workers

By Danae Columbus, opinion columnist

While some New Orleanians will soon begin receiving the much-heralded extra $600 unemployment benefits and other stimulus checks Congress authorized in response to the global pandemic, many self-employed and Form 1099 contract workers — including those in the short-term rental industry — received rejection letters from the Louisiana Workforce Commission.

Still other eligible workers who were not able to apply online are encountering long wait times to speak with a staffer. “I haven’t been able to work in three weeks,” said one small business owner. “If I didn’t have a small nest egg, I don’t know how I would feed my family,” she said.

Though the CARES Act states that self-employed and contract workers are eligible for unemployment, thousands of Louisiana workers have been caught in the cross-hairs between conflicting state and federal laws and available funding.

Walmart on Tchoupitoulas closed today to sanitize, restock

Walmart is temporarily closing three stores in the New Orleans area today (Thursday, April 9) to sanitize them and restock shelves. The stores include the Walmart on Tchoupitoulas Street, as well as stores in New Orleans East and Harahan. They will reopen Friday at 7 a.m.

We'll Be Right Back: New Orleans Hospitality

New podcast tackles the future of hospitality in New Orleans

There’s a new podcast in town, and service industry professionals are offering up their voices for it. The weekly podcast, titled We’ll Be Right Back: The Future of Hospitality, features interviews with professionals and organizations providing relief and resources as the industry manages amid COVID-19.

As stated on its website, We’ll Be Right Back will “tell the stories of local business owners and employees in the service/hospitality sector and gig economy at-large in the Greater New Orleans Area impacted by the economic blowback of the coronavirus, as well as highlight the resources available to businesses and individuals alike.”

Where to find food to-go for Passover, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter

Food, family and holidays are intrinsically linked, particularly in New Orleans where traditions run deep.

With Passover starting today (Wednesday, April 8) and Holy Thursday (April 9) leading up to Easter Sunday, more families are planning their feast around these holidays at home due to COVID-19 self-quarantine rules.

Gatherings will be far smaller and religious services will be virtual, but it’s still the holidays. Some will want a day off from cooking or may just want something special, picked up or delivered. Local restaurants, bakeries and caterers have filled the culinary void with to-go menus.

Major roadwork project begins in Hollygrove and Leonidas

A $15.1 million roadwork project is scheduled to begin today (Monday, April 6) in Hollygrove and Lenonidas, the Mayor’s Office announced. It’s part of a massive capital improvement program for the roads and drainage systems that the city is under a deadline to complete.

The $2.2 billion citywide infrastructure program, with more than 200 individual projects, is financed through FEMA, Housing and Urban Development, the Sewerage & Water Board and city bonds. The federal funding has a time limit, city officials say. The infrastructure program is scheduled to be completed by 2023.